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d  images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m6thode. 


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HEGINALD    IlKBER, 


REGINALD    HE3ER 

BrSHOP    OF    CALCUTTA 


i 


SOHOLAI^     AND      eVANGELlSrp 


nv 


ARTHUR     MOxNTEFIOja- 

""'•'■■Y,  .KADhKS    INTO    fNKNOWN 


I.ANI)S,"   ETC. 


"777/   ILLUSTRATIONS  FROM  BISHOP  HEBER'S 
SKETCHES  AND  OTHER  DRAWINGS 


FLEMING  H.  KeVeLL  COMPANY 

NEW     YORK  CMiCAnr, 

i^HlCAGO  TORONTO 

PublUu>s  oj  E.  ,,'^elual  Litemtun. 


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'•i'i'i;i<.\.\j).s,i, 


•^I'AI.. 


l^Rl'FACJ^. 


-TV   las  appeared  since  that  which  his  widow      ^, 
'Almost  ..nn.ediatcly  after  his  death  in  i^^O       Z  l 

was  largely  made  up  of  his  icurnil    hil       "  .''"'■'' 

various   Hterary   fragnien  s    nd   n  '^'^  ^"'■'•^^«P""^'^-"cc, 

nun.er..s„K.^,,she;din',,::;^2;T!-^^ 

the    universal    regret    felt    n^    I.;.         /'"^''^"f'  to  mark 

..asic  cKi,  and  ..f..,'  „::'L:  V  „:r  ;■;;,.:";  r";r^' 

Mpccted,  and  conscquentiv  it  I,ik  „,„  r.,      ■      .  '' 

of  the  „,any  wi,„  adln-ed  W  c  "In'ed';/-"," 

■"■«  t„„n,„tr:nd  hts  Id  t,":,^r'"'^  -"^^  "•«^" 

Jt  has  therefore   been   thouirht  thnf  i   .L.  f  i      r  ,  • 
career  would  be  wcIco„,e  to  „„t  a  fcw  .Li       I      °f  M  " 


O  PREFACE. 

contains  ;  but,  by  suppressing  descriptions  of  the  scene  in 
which  he  made  so  interesting  a  figure,  it  has  been  found 
possible  to  include  a  considerable  number  of  personal 
details,  which,  taken  in  the  aggregate,  may  serve  to 
present  a  fairly  complete  portrait  of\hc  individual. 

A  word  must  be  added  as  to  the  divisions  into  which 
my  treatment  of  the  subject  has  somewhat  naturally 
fallen.  It  is  obvious  that  a  man's  life  cannot  be  cut  up 
into  as  many  chapters  as  he  has  lived  decades,  or  any 
other  period  of  years.  His  life  depends  not  on  his  age 
but  on  his  energy. 

"Oiic  crowded  hour  r.f  "lorious  life 
Is  u'ortli  an  age  without  a  Jiaino  ;  " 

and,  similai-ly,  ten  years  in  a  quiet  country  parsonage 
may  be  dealt  witli  and  dismissed  in  the  same  sp-^ce  we 
might  allot  to  a  year  of  travel  under  unusual  conditions. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  one  is  to  insert  the  whole  in 
a  small  book,  and  yet  omit  no  distinct  epoch  in  a  busy 
life,  it  is  equally  obvious  that  severe  compression  nuist 
be  applied  to  years  that  are  interesting  and  filled  with 
action.  For  example,  in  this  very  book,  some  may  be 
surprised  to  find  a  comparatively  small  portion  allotted 
to  his  Indian  episcopate;  and  therefore  I  think  it  may 
be  well  to  point  out  in  this  introductory  note  that 
Ileber  held  the  bishopric  of  Calcutta  for  less  than  three 
years;  and  that  although  he  laboured  so  exceedingly 
that  we  may  coisider  his  death  was  hastened  by  toil, 
yet  such  labour  remained  during  his  lifetime  rather 
pregnant  with  promise,  and  chiefly  became  productive 
of  result  after  his  death. 

I  may  add  in  conclusion  that  I  owe  a  great  debt  to 
the  various  volumes  of  journals,  correspondence,  and 
memorials  that  were  collected  and  published  by  his 
devoted  wife.  ^    j^ 


.•> 


the  scene  in 
been  found 
of  personal 
ay  serve  to 
vidua], 
i  into  which 
it  naturally 
)t  be  cut  up 
des,  or  any 
:  on  his  age 


'  parsonage 

le  space  we 

conditions. 

e  whole  in 

h  in  a  busy 

ssion  nuist 

filled  with 

nc  may  be 

on  allotted 

ink  it  may 

note    that 

than  tliree 

-xceedingly 

led  by  toil, 

:me   rather 

productive 

eat  debt  to 

:lcnce,   and 

ed   by   his 

A.  M. 


A    NORWEGIAN    FARM. 


CONTENTS. 


CliAPTER  I. 
EARLY   YEARS         .  .  .  ^ 

"  Si;;;  P'l^';°."^' -  S<^;'"°'  -  Friendship  -  Oxford 
1  alcstine   -Patnotism-IIonoiirs-Fellovvship. 


PAGE 


CHAPTER 


ir. 


SCANDINAVIA   AND   RUSSIA   IN    1805    . 

Europe  in  i8oS-_Cottcnbiirg--Posting_Dovre  Feld- 
rrondhcm  --  Finns  _  Norwegian  Simplicity  -  Sweden  - 
Upsala^-^hnland-St.  I'etcr.shurff-Thc  C^ar-Thc  WaL 
Winter  I  ravellmg-Village  Life-  Mo..cow_The  Krcml  ii- 
Moscow  Society.  ivieuuin 

CHAPTER  III. 

AMONG   THE   COSSACKS 

•  •  •  .  , 

The  Soutl.ein  Provinces--Rnral  Life-"  Little  Rnssii  " 
- 1  aganrog-Tciicrkask-The  Cossacks-The  r  H  s  o.T- 
ri.e.r  Lustoms-Easter-tide-The  Crimea-Home  ^ 


23 


62 


8 


CONTEXTS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   COUNTRY   I'ARSON 

Hodnct — Oxford  —  Divinity  Sliulics— Oxford  Friends  — 
Ordination  —  Rector  of  Hodnet  —  Village  Reforms  — 
Marriage— Clinreh  Views-- Ill-liealth— Parish  Anecdotes 
— Rowland  Hill  Canon  of  St.  Asaph — Select  Preacher  at 
the  University — "  (ireenland's  Icy  Mountains'' — Preacher 
at  Lincoln's  Inn— The  Offer  of  the  Bishopric. 


PAGE 

8^. 


CHAPTER  V. 


LITERARY   LIFE 


Hebcr's  Style  — His  Studies — Humorous  Verse— Founda- 
tion of  Oitarterly  Review — Contributions  to  the  Oitaitcrly — 
Ilymnody— Madame  de  Stael— A  Mask— Cheap  Literature 
— Hymns  for  Church  Use— Southcy"s  Lament. 

CHAPTER  VI. 


104 


THE   lilSHOPRIC   OF   CALCUTTA     .  .  .  . 

India  in  1S23 -- Arrears  of  Work  —  Chaplains  and 
Missionaries- -  Bishop's  College  —  Education  -  A  Native 
Ordination— His  First  "  Visitation  "—Dacca  —  Death  of 
Scott— "An  Evening  Walk  in  Bengal" — Benares — Boat 
Travel  and  Jungle  Riding — Lucknow— The  King  of  Oudli 
— Baroda — Archdeacon  Barnes — Bombay. 


123 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE   LAST   YEAR 


148 


Bombay  -  A  Chaplain  —  Ceylon  • —  Calcutta  —  The 
Armenian  Church — Madras— The  Governor-  Chilhimbrum 
— Tanjore — A  Christian  Rajah — Easter  Day — Trichinopoly 
— An  Early  Service — The  End. 


:€&3. 


I 


ids— 
lis  — 
dotes 
er  at 
iclier 


PAGE 
83 


)    "f^iiTM 


REGINALD     IIEBER. 


104 


iui;i- 

'■(y- 

iturc 


and 
itive 
:  of 
3  oat 
udh 


riie 

rum 
)oIy 


123 


148 


CIIAP'IER    I. 


EARLY    YKARS. 


IN^  that    memorable  3-ear    in    which  Charles  James 
Fox,  hastening  to  his  fall,  introduced   his  famous 
Bill  for  the  Government  of  India— a  Bill  which  was  so 
opposed  by  the  King  that  he  authorised  Lord  Temple 
to  declare  that  any  peer  voting  for  it  would  be  regarded 
as  his  personal    enemy—Reginald    Ileber,    the    future 
Bishop  of  Calcutta,  was  born.     Jn  the  same  year — but 
three  months  earlier — the  Independence  of  the  Thirteen 
United  States  had  been  acknowledged  in   the   Treaty 
of  Paris;  and  peace  secured   for  a  while   to  England, 
France,  and  Spain  in  that  of  Versailles.     In  the  same 
year,  too,  a  long  series  of  brilliant  victories  concluded 
with  the  submission  of  Tippu,  Sultan  of  Mysore,  and 
the  bringing  of  peace  to  that  province  of  India  where 
Bishop  Heber  was  destined  to  lind  his  grave. 

There  was  a  lull  in  the  wars  which  had  been 
convulsing  the  civilised  world— from  Bunker's  Hill, 
overlooking  Boston  Harbour,  in  the  Far  West,  to 
Benares,  that  most  holy  city  on  the  Ganges,  in  the 
Far  East.  But  it  was  a  lull  like  that  which  conies  in 
the  midst  of  the  cyclone.  A  few  years  of  peace  and 
rest  and  renewal  of  strength— for  England,  as  far  as 

9 


:*» 


10 


REGINAT.D   IIEHKR. 


Europe  was  concerned,  barely  eleven — and  then  there 
burst  over  Europe  such  a  war-cloud  as  had  never  yet 
been  seen.  Well  might  Metternich  exclaim — and  for 
the  matter  of  that  Frederick  the  Great  too- -"After  me  the 
Deluge."  But  neither  looked  so  far  as  that  deluge  swept. 
It  was  Just  at  this  moment,  then,  between  two 
crowded  hours  of  international  and  almost  universal 
warfare,  at  the  close  of  the  one  and  before  the  begin- 
ning of  the  other,  that  in  a  cjuiet  coiintry  rectory  in  the 
vale  of  Cheshire,  Reginald  1  lebcr  was  born.  The  day 
was  the  2 1st  of  April,  the  year  that  of  1 783.  I  lis  father 
was  the  co-Rector,  with  one  Dr.  Townson,  of  Malpas — 
he  (jf  the  upper  and  the  latter  of  the  "  lower  mediety." 
The  Ilebers  were  people  of  d(>scent  and  circumstance. 
They  traced  their  name  to  that  hill  in  Craven, 
Yorkshire,  called  flaybergh,  or  Hayber — a  pronuncia- 
tion frequently  given  to  the  surname — and  their  right  to 
arms  to  one  Reginald  lleber  of  Marton  in  that  district. 
At  least  this  individual  had  his  arms  "  certified  "  in 
the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  which  w'as  practically  an  ac- 
knowledgment that  he  and  his  family  already  had  a 
right  to  bear  them.  A  descendant  of  this  Reginald 
lleber  married  one  of  the  Vernon^,  and  thereby  added 
to  his  patrimony  the  acceptable  estate  of  Ilodnet  Jlall 
in  Shropshire.  Then  came  another  Reginald,  who  also 
married  an  heiress  (they  were  wise  in  their  generation, 
children  of  the  light  though  I  believe  them  to  have 
been),  the  daughter  of  the  Rev,  Martin  Baylie,  Rector 
of  Wrentham  ;  and  for  issue  he  had  Richard,  of  whom 
we  shall  hear  a  good  deal  in  the  course  of  this  little 
book.  Richard's  motlier  dying,  this  Reginald  lleber 
married  Mary,  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Cuthbert 
Allanson,  D.I).  ;  and  of  this  marriage  there  were  born 
Reginald,  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  Thomas  Cuthbert, 
and  Mary.  At  the  time  of  Reginald's  birth,  and  for 
many  3'ears  afterwards,  his  father  was,  as  I  have  said, 
co-Rector  of  Malpas  ;  but  he  succeeded,  on  the  death 
of  his  elder  brother,  to  the  manors  of  Martou  and 
Hodnet,  and  the  patronage  of  their  rectories. 


EARLY  YEARS. 


II 


icn  there 
icvcr  yet 
-and  for 
er  me  the 
^c  swept, 
een  two 
universal 
le  bcgiii- 
ry  in  the 

The  clay 
[is  father 
Vial  pas — 
iicdicty." 
nistancc. 

Craven, 
'onuncia- 
r  right  to 
t  district, 
ificd  "  in 
y  an  ac- 
ly  had  a 
Reginald 
by  added 
Inet  Hall 
who  also 
■neration, 

to  have 
c,  Rector 
of  whom 
this  little 
d  Ileber 
Cuthbert 
vere  born 
Cuthbert, 
,  and  for 
10 vc  said, 
;he  death 
rton  and 


The  future  bishop  seems  to  have  been  almost  a 
bishop  born.  Of  precocity  we  hear  a  good  deal  in 
the  lives  of  most  great  men  ;  but  for  mcral  and  spiritual 
precocity,  if  the  records  be  true,  Reginald  Hebcr  is 
entitled  to  a  place  in  the  first  rank.  It  was  an  age, 
too,  when  clever  children  were  unduly  forced  ;  and 
the  piety  of  pai-ents  had  little  respect  for  the  tenderness 
of  a  child's  mind,  even  going  so  far  as  to  feed  the 
infant  imagination  on  the  material  glories  of  a  heaven 
all  of  gold,  or  the  material  horrors  of  a  hell  all  of  fire. 
Ileber's  parents  were  no  exception.  They  could  not 
have  heeded  St.  Paul's  wise  advice  and  given  of  the 
milk  of  Scripture  to  their  babe,  for  we  find  that  he 
was  permitted  to  range  the  Scriptures  at  the  age  of 
five;  and  we  learn  that  he  did  this  with  "avidity,  and 
had  at  that  time  remarkable  and  accurate  knowledge  " 
of  the  contents.  Illustrative  of  this  a  story  is  told  that 
at  this  age  he  entered  a  room  where  his  father,  the 
Rector,  and  some  friends  were  disputing  as  to  the  place 
in  the  Old  Testament  where  a  certain  passage  occurred. 
His  father  i-eferred  to  his  son,  who  "at  once  named 
both  the  book  and  the  chapter."  Ikit  it  was  two  years 
earlier  even  than  this,  when  his  mother  was  alarmed 
at  a  storm  overtaking  them  as  they  drove  through  a 
remote  part  of  the  country,  that  the  three-year-old 
Reginald  is  said  to  have  exclaimed,  "  Do  not  be  afraid, 
mamma;  God  will  take  care  of  us"— a  childish  echo 
of  the  teaching  he  had  received,  which  passed  with 
those  fond  parents  for  the  conviction  of  faith. 

But,  by  nature,  he  inherited  a  self-control,  soberness, 
and  steadfastness  which  grew  in  after  years  to  such 
strength  as  to  dominate  his  character.  It  is  said  that 
when  he  was  only  two  years  of  age,  and  the  doctor 
was  about  to  open  a  vein,  after  the  fashion  of  the  time, 
for  the  relief  of  the  hooping-cough,  as  the  doctor  took 
hold  of  his  arm  he  asked  not  to  be  held.  He  was 
told  that  he  would  be  much  more  hurt  should  he  move. 
"I  won't  stir,"  he  replied,  and  the  plucky  littl-  fellow 
held  out  his  arm  to  the  doctor,  and  never  moved  it 


12 


REGINALD   IIKliER. 


throughout  the  operation.  His  self-control  and  sobriety 
of  temperament  may  also  be  inferred  from  the  medical 
o]Mnion  expressed  of  him  when  suftei-ing  from  a  very 
serious  attack  of  inflanmiation  of  the  lungs  at  ibur 
years  of  age.  The  doctor  declared  that  there  would 
be  no  hope  of  saving  his  life,  "  if  he  were  not  the  most 
tractable  child  I  ever  saw." 

His  thirst  for  knowledge  began  early,  and  never 
left  him.  When  he  was  six  he  had  a  severe  attack 
of  typhus  fever,  and  as  he  slowly  recovered  he  begged 
his  father  to  let  him  learn  the  Latin  Grammar  to  help 
the  time  pass  as  he  lay  in  bed.  His  faculties  were 
always  quick.  When  about  seven  years  old  he  was 
playing  with  some  other  boys,  and  on  one  of  them 
asking  that  graceless  riddle,  "  Where  was  Moses  when 
his  candle  went  out?"  Reginald  promptly  replied, 
*'  On  Mount  Nebo,  for  there  he  died,  and  it  ma}'  well 
be  said  that  his  lamp  of  life  went  out."  It  would  be 
interesting  to  know  how  this  contribution  to  the  merri- 
ment of  the  party  was  received. 

From  early  years  he  had  a  taste  for  drawing.  He 
sketched  eveiwthing  he  saw — figures,  landscape,  and 
still-life.  But  he  was  always  particularly  devoted  to 
sketching  buildings  and  making  architectural  designs. 
Years  later,  when  at  Oxford,  we  find  him  emphasising 
the  fact  that  he  was  reading  hard  by  saying  that  he 
had  put  away  his  sketches.  •*  I  have  kept  myself 
entirely  from  drawing  plans  of  houses,  etc. ;  "  and  again, 
"  I  .  .  ,  shun  politics,  eschew  architecture."  But  it 
remained  with  him  through  life.  In  India  he  eon- 
tinually  designed  churches,  belfries,  schools,  and  was 
passably  happy  in  his  i-esults.  Many  of  his  sketches 
v.'ere  used  to  illustrate  the  Russian  travels  of  the  well- 
known  Edward  Clarke  ;  and  his  Indian  drawings  were 
]iublished  in  a  handsome  volume  of  engravings.  In 
this  direction,  and  in  that  of  books,  the  eager  impetuosity 
of  the  child  found  a  vent.  He  never  kept  a  domestic 
pet — the  rabbit  or  the  guinea-pig,  on  which  the  affec- 
tions   of  so    many    children    are    lavished ;    and    it    is 


I-ARLV  YEARS. 


13 


In 


recorded  that  he  even  persuaded  his  little  sister  to 
give  up  hers.  His  enquiring  disposition,  which  was 
strengthened  ratiier  than  weakened  as  he  grew  in 
knowledge,  was  very  marked.  Indeed,  in  later  life 
he  used  to  attribute  much  of  his  general  knowledge 
to  this  habit,  and  say,  as  many  indeed  have  said,  that 
he  had  never  met  any  one  from  whom  he  could  not 
learn  something. 

lie  owed  much  to  his  elder  half-brother,  Richard. 
In  his  studies,  in  particular,  he  was  encouraged  and 
directed  by  him.  And  Richard,  in  describing  his 
younger  brother's  habits,  used  to  say  that  Reginald 
was  not  content  to  read  books,  "he  devoured  them." 
With  what  seemed  a  glance  he  absorbed  the  contents 
of  a  page,  and  so  good  was  his  memory  that  he  remem- 
bered for  years  what  he  I'ead— sometimes  with  an 
accuracy  almost  verbal.  Under  the  tuition  of  his 
father  he  early  be^an  that  staple  of  education,  the 
classics,  and  by  the  age  of  seven,  we  are  told,  he  had 
translated  Phoedrus  into  English  verse.  At  eight,  how- 
ever, he  went  to  the  Grammar  School  at  Whitc'hurch, 
whose  head-master  at  that  time  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  Kent ; 
and  subsequently,  when  thirteen  years  old,  to  the 
well-known  private  school  of  Mr.  Bristow  at  Neasden, 
then  spelt  Neasdon,  lying  back  from  the  Edgware  road' 
a  few  miles  from  Hyde  Park.  At  that  time  Neasden 
was  a  retired  spot,  with  miles  of  open  country  between  it 
and  London.  Now,  as  we  know,  it  is  a  rapidly  growing 
suburban  town  not  sensiblydetached  from  the  metropolis. 

It  was  at  Neasden  that  Hebcr  made  the  great  friend- 
ship of  his  life.  It  was  his  fortune  to  be  a  dear  friend 
to  many  men—most  of  whom  eventually  occupied  dis- 
tinguished positions  in  the  Government  or  in  the  Church 
— but  "  his  own  familiar  friend  "  throughout  life  was 
John  Thornton,  the  son  of  that  Samuel  Thornton  who 
was  Member  of  Parliament  for  Surrey  for  many  years. 
With  John  'T'hornton  he  travelled  through  Europe  after 
Oxford  days,  when  the  centre  of  the  Continent  was 
aflame  with  war,  and  dynasties  of  centuries'  standing 


14 


REGINALD   IIE15ER. 


were  crashing  to  the  ground— at,  indeed,  the  most  in- 
structive period  of  continental  history  that  has  occurred 
during  the  last  hundred  and  fifty  years.  With  John 
Thornton  lie  corresponded  during  school  and  college 
days,  from  the  rectory  house  at  llodnet,  and  from  half 
a  hundred  places  in  the  course  of  his  journeys  through 
India.  And  to  John  Thornton  it  fell,  when  lleber's 
widow  compiled  a  memoir  of  the  life,  that  the  dedication 
should  be  written. 

As  a  boy  and  as  a  man  lleber  was  generous  to  a 
degree.  When  they  sent  him  back  to  school  at  the  half 
year,  his  parents  were  compelled  to  sew  the  bank-notes 
that  constituted  his  pocket-money  in  the  lining  of  his  coat 
—simply  to  prevent  his  giving  it  all  away  to  the  poor  and 
the  mendicant  he  might  meet  on  his  road !  He  seemed 
never  tired,  even  then,  of  forming  schemes  for  the 
relief  of  distress.  Mis  lively  interest  in  the  functions 
of  the  clergyman  dated,  as  with  many  other  children, 
from  the  infant  years,  when  an  apron  or  a  nightgown 
constitutes  the  surplice,  and  a  ])atient  untiring  nurse 
the  congregation.  At  school  he  formed  strong  ideas  of 
how  the  government  of  the  Church  might  l)e  improved, 
and  connnunicated  to  his,  friend  Thornton  many  ideas 
which,  as  too  often  is  the  case,  combined  with  the  zeal 
of  the  reformer  the  unpractical  solutions  of  the  theorist. 

With  a  good  memory,  and  that  most  blessed  of 
mental  endowments,  a  lively  imagination,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  his  early  progress  in  lessons  should 
have  made  him  conspicuous  among  the  few  pupils  at 
Neasden.  That  he  made  his  mark  there  is  very  evi- 
dent. It  is  regrettable,  indeed,  that  the  individual 
attention  obtained  in  a  system  which  allots  a  round 
dozen  of  boys  to  a  teacb.er  cannot  be  adopted  in  the 
vast  and  wealthy  schools  which  now  bulk  so  largely 
in  our  present  system.  It  seems  almost  certain  that 
every  year  hundreds  of  boys  iall  away  and  are  lost  to 
eminence  whom  more  careful  shepherding  would  have 
saved.  It  is  only  the  strong  and  those  who  are  not 
sensitive  that  can  push  their  way  out  of  a  crowd  ;  and 


EARLY  YEARS. 


15 


a  boy  of  great  talent  is  not  always  strong,  and  seldom 
othe     i  an  sensitive. 

We  iearn  that  among  his  favourite  books  at  this  time 
was  Spenser's  "  Faeiie  Queone/'  which  he  was  fond  of 
taking  with  liim  on  his  walks,  a  habit  which  stuck  to 
him  through  lile.  For  the  exact  sciences  we  are  pre- 
])ared  to  hear  that  he  did  not  evince  any  taste.  lie  was 
never  very  appreciative  of  grammar  and  philology.  It 
was  the  subject-matter  which  he  burrowed  for."  His- 
tory, literature,  and  especially  ballad  literature,  appealed 
to  him  with  particular  emphasis,  and  both  at  school 
and  afterwards  he  achieved  a  domestic  reputation  as  a 
story-teller.  His  prose  was  good,  and  in  the  uncon- 
scious seeking  after  the  proper  words  he  revealed  his 
literary  sense  ;  but  it  was  in  the  direction  of  poetry 
that  as  a  boy  and  a  young  man  his  own  ambitions 
travelled.  We  have  ali-eady  mentioned  the  remarkable 
feat  of  rendering  Phccdrus  in  verse  at  the  age  of  seven  ; 
and  it  may  be  added  here  that  this  produced  a  habit 
which  was  maintained  through  the  school  days  into 
those  of  adult  life.  "The  Prophecy  of  Ishmael"— 
with  reference  to  the  Battle  of  the  Nile— was  one  of  the 
Neasden  batch  of  productions. 

Writing  to  Thornton  from  Neasden,  when  sixteen 
years  of  age,  he  says  :  "In  Greek  I  go  on  in  tlie  old 
train,  being  now  deep  engaged  in  Longinus,  Prometheus 
Vinct.,  and  the  Epistles,  with  Locke's  Commentary; 
besides  which  I  read  the  'Essay  on  the  Human  Under- 
standing' for  two  hours  every  evening  after  I  liave 
finished  my  exercise."  A  few  months  later  he  writes  : 
•'  You  will  remember  young  P.owler  the  baker,  how  he 
used  always  to  I'ead  in  his  cart.  I  examined  his  books 
some  days  ago,  and  found  they  were  \'olney,  Voltaire, 
and  Godwin.  These  are  the  fruits  of  circulating 
hbi-aries  "—a  somewhat  unusual  reflection  for  a  lad  of 
sixteen.  And  a  week  or  two  later  he  laments  that 
Thornton  is  going  to  Cambridge  and  not  to  Oxford, 
whither  lie  himself  was  intended  to  go,  and  adds  :  "  You 
will  laugh  at  me  for  talking  of  college  six  months  before 


i6 


KKC.1N.\1.1»    IIF.l'.r.U. 


mv  time  but  InuUmiiS  in  Latumi  is  the  principle  that 

ruls  uS  a     and  yKiuas  talked  of  Italy  when  he  was 

1   n^  Cartha-e."     Soon  after   he  was  seventeen  he 

tical   liuty''  quite  in   the  aecompUshed   manner  ot    a 

,.r;.a^eal   sciences    we  inul^s  note    whu:h  is  o^ 
interest  as  indicating  his  sympathies  .      1_  send  >ou  a 
sketch  of  a  building  which   I   passed  c;>n""J?  <>?"^;^^^ 
no  t      which  will  interest  you  as  much  as  it  did  me  , 
To  Id  a  Host  have-  pulled  off  my  hat  as  we  drove  b 
t  is  S  r  Isaac  Newton's  home  as  it  appears  Irom   tlu 
no  th  roaS  "     Thornton  was  good  at  mathematics,  and 
He  1  to     n ourage  his  friend  to  give  more  attention  to 
cm       ApropoJ'of   this    1  leber    writes    humorously  : 

Hve  vou  been  much  out  a-hunting  lately?     D 

A  to  t\  nl-  I  remember,  that  Nimrod  was  a  mere 
^1i  ou;  an^l  isS  lo  shake  his  wise  head  when  you 
t^dkecl  of  a  leap.  He  had  once  a  long  conversation  on 
the  sub  et  wi  h  me,  and  said  hunting  encouraged  vice. 
^  h.d  n'  o  u-se  to  m'ythology,  and  told  him  the  chaste 

I  nm)  vtus  was  a    hunter,   which    satisfied    hmi      M^ 
Ihppol^ts  wa  j^^^^^  ^^^^^,  ^^  j^^^^, 

T^^  f  andur^ou  read  the  less  tl^  moi.  you 
l2rrthatln.yhavcn.ore^^^^^ 

^ooc/'d^   *a  in^^^^^^^^^ 

?he  old  poUinic  writers,  which,  with^my  Italian,  leave 

me  not  much  time  for  mathematics. 

"  irOc  ober  1800  he  entered  Brazenose  College,  or  as 

it  WIS  then  called.  Brazen  Nose,  and  he  sends  a  list  of 

tie  dUet  things  he  has  to  buy  on  setting  up  on  his 

"ciunt  in  college,  adding,  ''  It  -  -rely  a  luxurious 

age  when  a  boy  of  seventeen  requne.  =o  "^;^^^  'J'' .  ; 

m  him  out.     1  have  been  a  much  gayer  fellow  than 


KAULY   YI'AKS. 


17 


iciple  that 
■u  he  was 
■entcen  he 

,  touchiiiKi 
y,  and  thi' 
allowabh; 
'  Ecclesias- 
iinci'  of  a 

love  of  the 
vhich  is  of 
cud  you  a 
■r  iVom  thi; 
it  did  me  ; 
^  drove  by. 
s  iVcMii  th(? 
matics,  and 
;ittcntion  to 
LUTiorously  : 

y  ?      D 

kvas  a  mere 
d  when  you 
;crsation  on 
uras^ed  vice. 
1  the  chaste 
I    him.      My 
iftcr  it  now 
le  more  you 
f  overtaking 
have  been  a 
volumes  of 
talian,  leave 

ollege,  or,  as 
•nds  a  list  of 
ng  up  on  his 
y  a  luxurious 
mursi  fuss  to 
•  fellow  than 


usual  of  late,  having  been  at  a  race,  and  also  at,  what 
I  never  saw  before,  a  masquerade.  ...  It  was  given 
by  Sir  William  Wynn,  and  though  certainly  nuieh 
inferior  in  spl-ndour  to  Mr.  Chohnondeley's  ball  (Mr. 
ChoIniondeJe;*  of  Vale  Royal  Abbey,  Cheshire,  a  cousin 
of  Heber's),  was  very  well  conducted." 


Ji-(U9.  c: 


llK.\/.i;.Ni)rti;    Cul.l.IXii;, 


On  first  gouig  to  Oxford  he  wrote  that  his  acquaint- 
ances were  unfortunately  chieny  among  men  much  his 
senior,  or  people  whom  he  had  met  at  home.  Thus 
there  were  "several  of  the  Fellows,  the  Senior  Proctor! 
the  Bishop  (he  reibrred  to  Dr.  Cleaver,  Principal  ot 
lirazenose,  who  was  also  Bishop  of  Chester),  "  but  they 


I 


l8 


UKC.INAT-l)  UV.WAL 


nl  ,ncn  ind  not  tiivu,  to  ass..riatc'  with  firshmrn." 
^fte.nx  ,.  * '\,  ;,  veral   unclcrgraauatos,  and  ho  he 


lailv    round    of    coHcgc    Ulc. 


^on    slip,    1    into    tin      nan,     '--^^^^-.,^,-f^rn\\y 

:;;:^^•otli^^v!f;.  that  vc-y  ..nc  a  Fdiow;  ..d^s 

young.,-  broth..  'V''''"^:;^"  ^f  "t^    "  dh^-ma>^ 

H.hcr  was  no  ^  ^7  ^J"^  "  ^^  t,,diti.mal  wet 
vanUs  and  so  we  '7^;;;''  '^,^'^g^  luu  at  college, 
cloth  round  Ins  head    o  P  ^-^^'Yr.    he  was  always  fond 

dcerec   commanded    ny  m\    k'^'/^'--  Tr^Ur^wc;   in  a 

•         rth.-  f  nni  Mallard  i\nd  about  forty  Fellows,  m  a 

view  ol  the  LoiaJuauaiu  j-      j^,    immense 

kind   of  procession  on  the  ^f  ^^  >   r;'^'';^^^-^,^      1  know 

awakened  by  ^he  "lannei  ni  whirh  ti^cy  m     ^  ^         ^^^^ 
rhorus.  'O  by  the  blood  oi  .1^"  S  ^  ^^^^^^^^ 
not  whether  vou  have  any  smnlar  strange  u-b..^ 
Camb!Sge,  so  that,  perhaps,  such  ceremonu.  .s  ■ .     All 


EARLY  YKAKS. 


19 


iTsbmrn.' 

vvlio  was 
;>nior,  and 
mcl  so  lit' 
Wvgv  life. 
llu'  family 
tlurc  ;  liis 
V  ;  and  his 

•I  Fellow, 
ilinf^-nian's 
itional  wet 

at  college, 
Ivvays  fond 
t  and  bigli 
i  hard.  In 
r.e  for  Latin 
luar  of  his 

eight — and 
ever  be  the 
ic  would  be 
ally  that  at 
lefat  6  a.m. 
•d  of  to-day 

the  celebra- 
11  Souls,"  he 
le  Square  to 
are  in   some 
d  thus  a  full 
Fellows,  in  a 
vith  immense 
ect.     1   know 
ly  uninitiated 
t  all  who  had 
ust  have  been 
lundered  their 
i-cl ' '     I  know 
:ge  cusioTPs  in 
inie?.  ?'^  '=■■     "^^^ 


I 

■  li 
■I 


Souls'  Mallard,  the  Queens'  boar's  head,  etc.,  will  strike 
you  as  more  absurd  than  diey  do  an  Oxford  man  ;  but 
I  own  I  am  of  opinion  that  these  rrmnants  of  Gothicism 
t(  nd  very  nnich  to  keep  us  in  a  scum'  consistent  track. 
In  r.So3  we  find  the  inlUunza  pr,  valeiit  at  Oxforo, 
and  lliat  Ilcber  wa:  not  passed  oV'  r  by  tiiat  plague. 
.SutYerers  from  our  recent  visitations  will  sympathise 
with  his  remark,  "  I  could  .seldom  !)ear  to  hi?  up,  my 
head  and  body  ached  so  nmch."  lie  was  in  the  midst 
of  preparing  his  poem  on  Palestine  for  the  Ncwdigatc 
I'ri/e.  lie  writes  of  his  views  on  the  subject:  "A  fine 
one,  as  it  will  admit  of  much  fancy  and  many  sublime 
ideas.  I  know  not  whether  it  ought  to  have  been 
made  exelusiv*  ly  sacred  or  not.  Many  men  whom  I 
liav(  talked  N^'ith  seem  inclined  to  have  made  it  so; 
but  I  have  an  utter  dislike  to  clothing  sacred  subjects 
in  verse,  unless  it  be  done  as  nearly  as  possible  in 
'  riptural  language,  and  introduced  with  great  delicacy. 
...  My  brother,  iny  tutor  (the  Rev.  T.  S.  Smyth, 
afterwards  Rector  of  St.  Austell),  and  Mr.  Walter 
Scott,  the  author  of  the  Border  Minstrelsy,  whom  I 
have  no  doubt  you  know  by  name,  if  not  personally, 
give  me  strong  hopes."  It  is  not  generally  known, 
perhaps,  that  one  of  the  best  and  most  familiar  passages 
in  that  [)oem  is  owing  to  a  suggestion  of  Sir  Walter 
Sc(jtl's.  He  was  breakfasting  with  Heber  one  morning, 
and  on  hearing  the  MS.  read,  Scott  said,  "  You  have 
omitted  one  striking  circuniL.ance  in  your  account  of 
the  building  of  the  temple — that  no  tools  were  used  in 
its  erection."  Heber  got  up  from  the  table  and  went 
into  another  part  of  tlie  room,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
returned  with  the  well-known  lines, — 

"  No  hammer  fell,  nu  ponderous  a.xes  rung; 
Like  some  tall  palm  the  mystic  fabric  sprung." 

The  poem  secured  the  prize,  and  became  the  most, 
successful  and  popular  piece  of  religious  verse  of  the 
first  h,?lf  of  the  centurv.  It  was  read  bv  everv  one  : 
it  was  known  by  heart  by  many.     It  was  translated 


■^ 


20 


KECINALD   IIEHER. 


M 


into  Welsh,  and  it  was  set  to  music  by  the  Professor 
of  Music  in  the  University.     Writing  many  years  alter 
in  Blackwood's  Magazine,  a  contemporary  said  :  "  None 
who   heard  Reginald  Heber   recite    his  '  Palestine '  m 
that  magnificent   theatre  will  ever  forget   his  appear- 
ance—so interesting  and  impressive.  .  .  .  There  was  a 
charm  in  his  somewhat  melancholy  voice,  that  occa- 
sionally faltered,  less  from  a  feeling  of  the  solemnity 
and  even  grandeur  of  the  scene,  of  which  he  was  himself 
the  conspicuous  object— though  that  feeling  did  suffuse 
his  pale,  ingenuous,  and  animated  countenance— than 
from  the  deeply-felt  sanctity  of  his  subject.  ...  As  his 
voice  grew  bolder  and  more  sonorous  in  the  hush,  the 
audience  felt  that  this  was  not  the  mere  display  of  the 
skill  and  ingenuity  of  a  clever  youth,    but  that   here 
was  a  poet  indeed,  not  only  of  high  promise,  but  of 
high  achievement.  .  .  .  And  that  feeling,  whatever  might 
have  been  the  share  of  the  boundless  enthusiasm  with 
which  the  poem  was  listened  to  attributable  to  the  in- 
fluence of  the  genius  loci,  has  been  since  sanctioned  by 
the  judgment  of  the  world,  that  has  placed  '  Palestine ' 
at  the  very  head  of  the  poetry  on  Divine  subjects  of  this 
age.     It  is  now  incorporated  for  ever  with  the  poetry  of 
England."    This  criticism,  it  should  be  added,  appeared 
in  November  1827. 

During  the  Long  Vacation  in  this  year,  1803,  Bona- 
parte's threatened  invasion  of  England  and  the  muster- 
ing of  the  "Army  of  England"  along  the  north 
coast  of  France,  led  to  an  extraordinary  outburst  of 
patriotism— or  shall  we  call  it  a  sense  of  personal 
danger  ?— throu^^hout  England.  No  fewer  than  400,000 
volunteers  were" rapidly  raised,  and  drilling  and  march- 
ing became  the  occupation  of  the  hour.  Heber  threw 
himself  into  the  work  with  all  his  characteristic  thorough- 
ness, and  wrote  the  martial  song,  "Swell,  swell  the 
shrill  trumpet  clear  sounding  afar,"  to  be  sung  at  a 
parade  of  volunteers.  He  and  his  brother  Richard 
raised  a  corps  at  Hodnet— "  all  here  are  furiously 
loyal."     His  friend  Thornton  was  similarly  employed. 


EARLY  YEARS. 


21 


iii 


ofcssor 
rs  after 
"  None 
ine'  in 
ippear- 
t  was  a 
t  occa- 
lemnity 
himself 
suffuse 
^ — than 

As  his 
ish,  the 
1  of  the 
at  here 

but  of 
:r  might 
3m  with 

the  in- 
3ned  by 
ilestine ' 
3  of  this 
oetry  of 
p pea red 


Hcbcr  studied  tactics  with  great  application,  and  gave 
up  the  idea  of  reading  for  honours  at  Oxford.  He  went 
out  into  camp  with  his  corps,  and  paid  unceasing 
attention  to  all  the  necessary  details  of  a  soldier's 
training.  Fortunately,  however,  as  the  year  wore  on, 
the  danger  became  less,  and,  though  still  on  the  alert, 
England's  war-fever  passed  away  for  a  time.  Once 
again  at  Oxford,  the  spirit  of  the  place  brought  him 
back  to  his  studies,  and  he  worked  very  hard.  The 
examination  came  on  in  the  October  term — with  what 
success  we  may  leave  a  contemporary  of  his  to  tell. 

"  His  university  career  was  eqijally  splendid  to  its 
close.  In  the  schools  his  examination  for  his  bachelor's 
degree,  although  not  so  much  distinguished  as  that  of 
many  others  for  accurate  remembrances  of  the  manifold 
divisions  and  subtleties  of  Aristotle's  philosophical 
works,  by  the  solution  of  syllogisms  out  of  Aldrich's 
logic,  or  of  mathematical  problems,  was  brilliant  in  the 
oratory  and  poetry  of  Greece.  But  his  reputation  was 
then  so  great  and  high,  that  no  public  exhibition  of  that 
kind  could  increase  or  raise  it.  Some  men  enter  the 
schools  obscure  and  come  out  bright ;  others  enter 
bright  and  come  out  obscure ;  but  Reginald  Heber  was 
a  star  whose  lustre  was  as  steady  as  it  was  clear,  and 
would  neither  suffer  temporary  eclipse  nor  *  draw 
golden  light '  from  any  other  source  of  honour  within 
the  walls  of  a  university." 

So  distinguished,  indeed,  was  his  performance  in  the 
schools,  that  he  was  immediatel}',  on  November  2nd, 
1804,  elected  a  Fellow  of  All  Souls.  The  letter  in  which 
he  tells  his  friend  Thornton  of  this  latest  honour  begins 
in  so  characteristic  a  way  that  I  venture  to  quote  it : — 

"  After  much  deliberation  concerning  which  of  the 
two  societies  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge  I 
should  subscribe  to,  I  have  at  length  determined  upon 
both  ;  you  will  therefore  oblige  me  if  you  will  put  down 
the  enclosed,  under  the  signature  of  O.A.,  to  the  fund 
of  the  Bible  Society.  I  would  not  trouble  you  in  this  if 
I  had  not  lost  the  paper  you  were  so  good  as  to  send  me." 


f^ 


REGINALD   IIEIIER. 


In  the  following  year  lie  gained  the  University's 
Bachelor's  Prize  for  an  English  prose  essay  :  the  subject 
was  **The  Sense  of  Honour,"  and  the  motto  under 
which  it  was  sent  in  \v-as  ^^  Sans  pntr  et  sans  reprochc.'^ 
He  was  thus  the  winner  of  the  two  Chancellor's  Prizes 
for  Latin  verse  and  English  prose — the  third  was  not 
established  till  later — as  well  as  the  Newdigate  Prize 
for  English  verse. 

Just  at  this  moment,  with  a  three  years'  interval 
facing  him  before  he  could  be  ordained— the  ministry 
of  the  Church  having  long  been  decided  on  as  his 
vocation — his  friend  Thornton  proposed,  by  one  of  those 
happy  thoughts,  we  may  suppose,  which  come  to  most 
of  us  occasionally,  a  tour  through  Europe.  Eager  to 
see  the  Continent,  and  especially  those  more  remote 
portions  which  the  Ercnch  wars  would  compel  them  to 
visit,  Hcber  consented;  and  the  narrative  of  the  journey 
which  was  thus  begun,  and  evf-ntually  extended  to  an 
unusual  length  and  a  comparati\ely  unknown  corner  of 
the  Continent,  may  be  fitly  left  for  further  chapters. 


S3^^?5*«^*^v>^^ 


niversity's 
;he  subject 
>tto  under 
ri'procJic." 
)r's  Prizes 
d  was  not 
^atc  I'rize 

5'  interval 
?  ministry 
)n  as  liis 
e  of  those 
e  to  most 
Eager  to 
'e  remote 
-1  them  to 
e  journey 
ded  to  an 
corner  of 
pters. 


0 


CROSSING    A    KIVER    IN    SOUTHERN    RUSSIA. 
{Fro,,,  a  skrlJi  by  Eihmrd  Clarke,  Jleba's  fried.) 


CHAPTER    II. 

SCANDINAVIA    AND    RUSSIA    IN    1 805. 

IT   was    in    July    1805— just    three    months    before 
1    Nelson  lought  and  won,  and  died  in  the  wiiming 
the  I^attie  of  Trafalgar— that  Reginald  Heber,  acconi- 
pan.ed    by    his    old    schoolfellow   John    Thornton,    set 
out  lor  a  prolonged  European  tour.     It  was  a  curious 
tune,   perhaps,   to  choose  for  travel.     Europe   was   in 
a    ferment    of    war.       Pitt    had    formed    his    "Third 
Coalition"    against    France,    an    international    alliance 
uicluduig  Russia,  Austria,  and  Sweden,  for  the  over- 
throw of  Napoleon.     The  "  Army  of  England,"  which 
Napoleon   had  levied   to  lower  the    "assumption"   of 
this^  country,  and,  as  he  wrote  to  Admiral  Ganteaume, 
to  "avenge  six  centuries  of  insult    and  shame,"    was 
lymg   encamped    at    Boulogne,    a   hundred    and    fifty 
thousand   strong.     ViUeneuve,  with   the  flower  of  the 
1'  rench  fleet  and  a  large  contingent  sent  by  his  Spanish 
uliies,  was  biding  the  time  when  he  could  escape  the 

23 


-- 
i  ' 

; 
1 
i 

1 

J 

ill 

:f  ■* 


24 


REHINALD   IIEI5ER. 


¥' 


watchfulness  of  Nelson  and  sweep  the  Channel.  There 
had  been,  it  is  true,  a  brief  interval  of  peace,  brought 
about  by  the  assassination  of  Czar  Paul  and  the 
consequent  break-up  of  the  "Northern  League,"  but 
at  its  sudden  ending  Napoleon  had  thrown  as  many 
as  ten  thousand  British  tourists  (who  had  been  tempted 
by  the  peace  to  cross  the  Channel)  into  prison,  and, 
wheeling  his  army  to  face  the  Channel,  he  deployed  it 
along  the  coast  from  Brest  to  Antwerp,  concentrating 
it  at  Boulogne.  In  England  the  war-fever  was  at  its 
height.  Volunteers,  as  has  been  shown,  were  being 
enrolled  in  great  numbers— no  fewer  than  four  hundred 
thousand  of  them  were  drilling  themselves  into  efficiency. 
Pitt  was  colonel  of  a  levy  of  three  thousand  which  he 
had  raised  in  his  capacity  of  Lord  Warden  of  the 
Cinque  Ports  ;  the  king  himself  held  reviews  of  them, 
and,  as  Montagu  Burrows  has  well  written,  "he,  his 
nobles,  and  his  gentry  were  ready  to  lead  his  people 
to  battle,  as  in  ancient  times."  England  had,  indeed, 
sprung  to  arms,  and  Europe,  aflame  with  war,  was  on 
the  eve  of  vast  catastrophes  and  far-reaching  change. 

Though  the  danger  may  have  served  as  an  incitement 
to  the  young  graduates,  it  modified  their  plans.  For 
instead  of  travelling  through  the  Netherlands  or  up 
the  Rhine,  or  penetrating  to  Switzerland,  it  became 
necessary  to  plan  a  route  which  should  pass  through 
friendly  countries,  and  along,  if  scarcely  beyond,  the 
periphery  of  war.  So  it  came  about  that  Sweden, 
Norway  (then  united  to  Denmark),  Finland  (then 
Swedish),  and  Russia  formed  the  main  route,  and  that 
the  way  home  was  left  to  be  decided  by  the  turn  of 
events.  Who  could  foresee  at  that  time  the  carnage 
of  Austerlitz  and  the  downthrow  of  the  "  Holy  Roman 
Empire,"  which  had  stood  just  a  thousand  years  ?  or 
the  sudden  rush  which  swept  everything  before  him 
at  Jena,  and  led  Napoleon  to  dictate  to  Europe  as 
•'  Emperor  of  the  West  "  ? 

Embarking    in    the    packet— a    small    sloop    which 
Hcber  likened  to  a  fishing-smack— the  travellers  reached 


lel.  There 
:e,  brought 
1  and  the 
ague,"  but 
1  as  many 
2n  tempted 
rison,  and, 
Icployed  it 
icentrating 
was  at  its 
^'ere  being 
ur  hundred 
)  efficiency. 
I  which  he 
[en  of  the 
's  of  them, 
,  **  he,  his 
his  people 
id,  indeed, 
ar,  was  on 
change, 
incitement 
ians.  For 
nds  or  up 
it  became 
iS  through 
?yond,  the 
;  Sweden, 
md  (then 
?,  and  that 
le  turn  of 
e  carnage 
ily  Roman 
years  ?  or 
lefoic  him 
uu'ope    as 

op    which 
rs  reached 


I 


SCANDINAVIA   AND   RUSSIA   IX    1805.  25 

Gottenburg   without    mishap.       They  were    plentifully 
supplied   with   cr^'dentials  and    letters   of  introduction 
to  all   the   persons  of  importance  and  influence    they 
were   likely  to    meet,  and,  as  we    shall    see,  they  en- 
joyed  the   best  opportunities  throughout  their  travels 
of  advancing  when  advance  was  difficult,  and  of  seeing 
places  which  at  such  a  time  would  be  closed   to   the 
loreigner  and  stranger.     This  it  is  that  helps  to  make 
Hebers  travels  m  Europe  more  than  interesting.     For 
Europe  was  not  only  in  the  crucible  of  war,  but  the  most 
ruthless  hand  known  to  her  history  fanned  the  flame 
and    thrones  were   to    fall  and  arise,  governments    to 
expire  and  appear,  before  there  could  be  peace    and 
with  peace,  the  opportunity  to  reckon  up  the  dead  and 
nussmg,  to  note   the  new  features  on   the  continental 
andscape.     Heber  was  one  of  the  last,  if  not  the  very 
ast,   ot    cultivated   Englishmen    to  visit  Moscow,   and 
leave   a    literary   account    of    this    ancient    capital    of 
Muscovy  before    the   armies  of  Napoleon    entered    its 
gates,  and    the  stoical    Russians,    as    alike   their    best 
defcnce  and  attack,  burnt  their  city  to  the  ground 

At  Gottenburg  the  untravelled  Englishmen  began  to 
realize    the  complete    change    which    foreign    customs 
introduce  into  even  the  details  of  life.     We  find  Heuer 
expressing  surprise  at  the  inverted  order  of  dining— 
the  Swedes  sharing  with  other  continental    nations  tb- 
custom  of  beginning  with  noyau  and  concluding  with 
fish.     Gottenburg  at  that  time  was  just  recovering  from 
a  disastrous  fire,   the   second  general  conflagration  in 
ive  years,  and  showing  the  misfortune  to  have  been  a 
blessing  in  disguise   by    improving  her   ground   plan, 
widening    her    streets,    and    exchanging   wooden   and 
rickety   houses  for  buildings  of  brick  and  stone.     Yet 
he  city  preserved  its  character.     Canals  still  ran  down 
the  centre  of  the   widened    roads,   and    the    furniture 
and  uses  of  the  stone-walled  rooms  remained  the  same, 
luge  fortifications  circled  the  city-curiously  enough 
they  were  much   neglected,    and   the    cannon  actually 
lying  to   rust    under   long  grass."     What    with   the 


I 
:Y'. 


26 


RECINATJ)   TTEBER. 


costumes,  the  language,  and  the  easy  manners,  the 
travellers  found  nmch  to  interest  and  note.  Heber 
writes  that  his  attention  had  been  "on  the  stretch  ever 
since  1  came  here  ;"  and  Thornton,  among  other  things, 
was  much  reminded  of  Scotland,  not  only  by  the 
appearance  of  the  people  but  by  their  accent  or  tone 
of  voice.  In  the  market-place,  where  the  height  and 
flaxen  hair  of  the  men  attracted  attention,  the  only 
vegetable  obtainal)le  was  the  green  pea,  though  fruit 
was  abundant.  Gottenburg  was  a  garrison  town,  and 
Ileber,  an  ardent  volunteer,  inquires  into  the  constitu- 
tion and  discipline  of  the  army,  and  notes  that,  instead 
of  sheathing  their  bayonets,  the  men  revei'se  them  on 
the  "musquet;"  and  ihat  the  captains  of  the  companies 
wear,  as  badge  of  their  rank,  a  white  handkerchief  tied 
round  the  arm — the  badge  originating  from  its  being 
worn  by  the  Royalists  in  the  recent  revolutions  of 
Gustavus  III. 

After  a  brief  stay  in  Gottenbui-g  the  travellers  set 
out  for  Frederikshall,  on  Lake  Wener ;  and  as  they 
used  for  the  first  time  a  vehicle  they  were  going  to 
travel  in  for  many  hundreds  of  miles — a  carriage  which 
may  be  taken,  perhaps,  as  a  type  of  tliose  used  at  this 
period  for  sucli  a  purpose  -  a  word  or  two  of  tlescription 
will  be  of  interest.  It  was  a  small  and  light  four- 
wheeled  carriage  with  a  capacious  coach-bo.\"  (to  hold 
the  trunks  and  packages),  and  a  seat  behind  for  the 
Swede  who  looked  after  the  horses.  The  top  opened 
and  shut  at  will,  and  \ydvt  of  the  side  was  taken  up 
with  glass  windows.  In  fact,  this  was  a  light  eilition 
of  the  '*  barouche  "  which  one  sees  so  often  pictured 
in  books  of  travel  of  the  period.  The  horses,  which 
nu"ght  almost  be  called  ponies — Heber  himself  .says 
they  were  about  the  size  of  Welsh  ponies — were  tvVo 
in  number,  obtained  from  the  "  posts  "  which,  in  the 
days  previous  to  railways,  were  stationed  at  fairly 
regular  intervals  along  the  roads.  A  Swede  was  sent 
in  advance  to  bespeak — he  was  califd  the  "  forbiid  " — 
the   horses   required  at   the   various   posts,    and    this 


SCANDINAVIA  AND   RUSSIA  IN    1805.  27 

useful  person  drove  in  a  light  cart  with  the  overflow  of 
the  baggage.  When  he  arrived  at  a  post  and  demanded 
the  horses,  the  postmaster  would  send  messengers  out 
into  the  district  and  requisition  the  number  required 
from  the  peasants,  who,  by  the  way,  were  compelled  to 
furnish  them  at  a  fixed  contract  rate.  The  price  paid 
to  the  postmaster  was  about  three-halfpence  an  English 
mile  per  horse  ;  and  the  normal  rate  of  travel  one 
Svyedish  or  61  English  miles  an  hour. 

The  route  lay  through  Udevalla,  which  is  situated  in 
a  district  of  unusual  beauty.  The  steep  hills  are  topped 
with  pines,  the  valleys  occupied  by  mountain-ashes, 
birch,  and  alder.  Forest  scenery  gives  place  to  gigantic 
recks,  and  these  again  to  meadows  and  cornfields.  'i"he 
two  characteristics  that  impressed  Ileber  were  the 
monotony  of  the  pines  and  the  prevalence  of  rocks. 
"I  do  not  believe,"  he  says,  "we  have  at  any  time 
seen  four  hundred  yards  of  land  together  without  rock 
visible  above  the  surface." 

At   Frederikshall  they  entered   Norway— not,   how- 
ever,  without  some    trouble    from    the    Custom-house. 
For   a  couple   of  hours  the    Swede  in   receipt  of  the 
customs  stood  out  for  a  fine  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
nx-do!lars  (about  £16)  on  account  of  some  omission 
in  their  papers  ;  but  by  maintaining  a  sturdy  independ- 
ence, and    threatening    to    report    the    man,  the    fine 
rapidly  fell   to  six    dollars,   and   the   request    for    this 
amount  was  put  so  obsequiously  that  one  suspects  that 
Heber  paid  the  sum,  though  he    nowhere    specifically 
adnnts  it.     Frederikshall,  at  this  time,  was  a  city  of 
wooden  buildings,  and    one-storied   buildings  at  that; 
the   accommodation    at   the    inns    was   good,    but    the 
charges  were  "very  exorbitant."     Rather  curiously— 
for  our  modern  experience  leads  us  to  hold  the  opposite 
view— Heber   adds,    "as   is   the   case   everywhere   in 
Norway." 

At  this  period  Norway  and  Sweden  were  very  bitter 
agai  A  each  other— a  bitterness,  by  the  way,  not 
assuaged  when  Sweden  forced    Norway,  a  few  years 


m 


.1.  " 


■^M 


M 


28 


RECINALD   IIEIiER. 


later,  to  accept  its  king.  Both  in  Norway  and  Sweden 
I  itt  was  spoken  of  with  great  disHke,  the  cause  for 
whicli  may  be  traced  to  the  formation  of  the  Northern 
League,  whose  "armed  neutrah'ty  "  really  arose  out  of 
Czar  Paul's  dislike  of  Great  Britain,  and  the  effect 
of  which  was  to  leave  us  out  in  the  cold  and  almost 
alone  m  our  struggle  with  France. 

Ileber  was  at  this  time  more  pleased  with  Norway 
than  with  Sweden.  It  is  particularly  interesting  to  us 
to  know  that  English  influence— and  we  shall  meet 
with  It  in  other  parts  of  Europe-had  permeated 
Norwegian  ways.  Norwegian  cattle  were  being  im- 
proved by  English  cross-breeding,  the  English  system 
ot  farming  was  grafted  on  the  Norwegian.  In  the 
kennels  were  English  dogs,  in  the  fiel  Is  grew  English 
hops.  Gardens  were  laid  out  in  the  English  manner 
and  the  women  of  Norway  regularly  received  their  new 
fashions  and  new  clothes  from  England. 

At    Dillingen,    near    Christiania,    Heber   came    into 
contact  with  Norwegian  fairy-lore,  for  the  lake  at  that 
place  IS  famous  as  the  home  of  Noeck,   the  kelpie  of 
Norway.     ''He    is   described,"    writes    Heber,    ''as    a 
malevolent  being  who  generally  appears  in  the  shape 
of  a  black  horse.     If  any  one  succeeds  in  bridling  him 
he    becomes   a   useful    animal,  and    serves   his   master 
laithfully.      This  information  we  had  from  an  Enolish 
servant,  married  in  the  country,  who  said  that  a  relation 
of  his  wife  s  told  him  seriously  that  he  had  himself  seen 
Noeck  in   harness,  quietly  drawing  a  plough;  but  the 
moment  the  bridle  was  taken  off  he  galloped  away  with 
prodigious  violence  and  noise,  plunged  into  the  lake,  and 
disappeared.     His  favourite  residence   is  at  Dillingen 
but  he  is  occasionally  seen  in  other  parts  of  Norway."   ' 

Of  Christiania,  as  it  was  at  the  beginning  of  the 
century,  we  are  not  told  much.  The  Cathedral  is  noted 
as  handsome  "—which  is  an  useless  word  for  descrip- 
tive purposes— but  only  "four  or  five  old  women  and 
somc-^chanty  children  "  are  to  be  seen  in  it  at  service 
on    Sunday    morning.      (They    afterwards     met     the 


I  Sweden 
:ause  for 
Northern 
>e  out  of 
lie  effect 
d  almost 

Norway 
iig  to  us 
all  meet 
inneated 
Mng  im- 
i  system 
In   the 

English 
manner, 
leir  new 

lie    into 

at  that 
:elpie  of 

"as  a 
e  shape 
ing  him, 

master 
English 
relation 
elf  seen 
but  the 
ay  with 
ike,  and 
illingen, 
way." 

of  the 
is  noted 
descrip- 
len  and 
service 
let     the 


SCANDINAMA   AN  J)   RUSSIA   IN    1S05.  29 

ofliciating  clergyman,  dressed  in  a  green  coat  and 
striped  waistcoat.)  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  people 
of  Chnstiania  were  not  Sabbatarians,  and  Sunday 
was  observed  in  "the  continental  manner."  A  friend 
of  Ileber's—with  whom  he  stayed  in  Christiania— 
had  made  great  but  unavailing  efforts  to  establish  a 
university,  but  Denmark  declined  to  allow  this  as  its 
policy  was  to  have  the  young  Norwegians  educated  at 
Copenhagen.  I  here  was,  however,  a  fine  public  library, 
which  might  be  said,  with  the  single  exception  of  a 
imlitary  school,  to  represent  the  public  buildings  of  the 
place.  ° 

On  leaving  Christiania,  and   posting  at   the  rate  of 
bd.  a  JJanish  mile— rather  less  than  five  English  miles— 
lor  each  horse,  the  route  lay  through  Kongsvinger,  and 
then  turned  due  northward,  leaving  the  ancient  ruins 
ot  Storhammer   about  ten  miles  to  the  west,   until  at 
Chnstiansford  it  turned  sharp  to  the  left,  and,  running 
northwesterly  through  Littlehammer,  entered  the  famous 
budbrandsdal,  and  shortly  after  began  the  long  ascent 
to  the  Dovre   Feld.     At   Breiden   Heber  met,  for  the 
iii-st  time,   "  the  gigantic  figures  and  long  yellow  hair 
of  the  men  of  Gudbrandsdal.     Hitherto,  we  had  been 
disappointed  in  the  appearance  of  the  people  of  Norway 
but    we   now    began    to    svl    many    fine-looking   men 
though  certainly  not  so  many  as  we  had  been  taught 
to  expect ;  they  were   uniformly    of  fair   complexions 
with  red  bonnets  on  their  heads,  and  dressed  in  plaid 
cloth,  with  garters  of  very  lively  colours  tied  in  large 
bovvs    at    their    knees.      The    women    wear    enormous 
buckles,  which  make  a  clinking  noise  as  they  walk,  and 
iigh-heeled  shoes,  which  give  them  an  appearance  of 
height,  though  they  are  not  taller,   perhaps  ha-^iy  so 
tall,  as  m  many  parts  of  Europe.     Their  dress  cjusists 
of  a  coarse,   loose  shift  fastened  round  the  throat    no 
stays,  and  only  one  dark-coloured  petticoat.    Sometimes 
however,  they  wear  a  waistcoat  without  sleeves    made 
exactly  like  that  of  a  man,  their  hair  snooded'  round 
with  tape,  and  tied  back  from  the  forehead,  hanging  down 


30 


UEOINALD   HKHER. 


iK'liiiul  ill  lung  liugkts.  The  houses  arc  a  good  deal 
oniamcnttd  with  carving,  stjinctitncs  done  very  neatly, 
and  the  doors  arc  painted  with  flowers  in  very  lively 
colours.  Stoves,  which  are  used  in  the  southern  parts 
of  Norway,  are  here  rarely  seen.  The  natives  adhere 
to  their  ancient  wide  chinnieyin  the  corner  of  the  room, 
made  to  project  with  a  salient  angle,  which  is  supported 
hy  an  iron  bar;  their  Ibrni  is  very  convenient,  and 
might  be  introduced  with  advantage  into  an  English 
cottage;  the  tops  of  the  chimneys  arc  soniet,.iics 
covered  with  a  little  dome  to  exclude  snow,  with  lateral 
perforations  for  the  smoke.  In  Sweden  they  have  a 
small  trap-door  to  answer  the  same  jHU-pose." 

Crossing  the  Dovre  Feld,  which  Ileber  compares  to 
the  north-country  tuoors  of  England,  the  road  became 
very  bad,  and  the  travellers  had  to  send  their  carriage 
on  empiy  and  ride  on  horseback.      In  this  part  of  the 
countiy    the    people    were    found    to    be    of  particular 
simplicity,  and  though  poor  not  poverty-stricken.     The 
schoolmaster  of  the  district  was  perhaps  the  exception 
—though  in  exchange  for  his  services,  he  had  plenty  of 
free  rations.     We  are   told   that   he  made  "a  --egular 
progress  from  village  to  village,   having  his  meat  and 
lodging  with  the  principal  farmers ;  and  all  the  inhabit- 
ants who  cannot  read  are  obliged  by  law  to  go  to  him 
for  instruction  ;  he  receives  a  very  trifling  fee  from  each 
person,    about   two    or   three    stivers,    and    !iis    whole 
annual  income  does  not  exceed   twenty-five  dollars  a 
year ;   food  and   lodging  are,  indeed,  supplied   to  him 
gratis  during  his  journeys.     The  priests  arc  obliged  to 
examine  the  children  aiuuially  in  reading  and  writing, 
and  to  give  in  a  statement  of  their  abilities  to  the  bishop. 
Bibles   are  costly,   and    are    seldom   possessed    except 
by  the  richer  sort  of  peasants;  they  almost  all   have 
Luther's   catechism  and    the    Psalm-book,   which    also 
contains  the  Epistles  and  Gospels  for  each  Sunday." 
The  Dovre  Feld,  in  fact,  was  the  least  sophisticated 
district  of  an  unsophisticated  country.     Nature,  indeed, 
was  almost  untamed  of  man  ;  for  the  land  was  but  little 


,s 


32 


UKCINALD   IIKHKK. 


cultivated — wild  birch  forests  clasping  it,  luijj;e  upthrusts 
of  rocks  sterilisiiif;  it.  Wolves  were  to  be  found  in 
greai  numlx  rs,  and  more  than  usually  savage  ;  lemmings 
were  seen  for  the  Hrst  time — the  fable  of  their  having 
dropped  from  the  clouds  still  finding  sonv;  credence; 
and  the  roads  were  often  mere  watercourses.  It  was 
here  that  I  leher  first  saw  the  "cow-pipe,"  a  horn  some 
live  feet  in  length,  made  of  bark,  the  bark  of  the  birch, 
and  capable  of  a  woodland  music  not  by  any  means 
unwelcome  to  the  traveller  as  he  passes  up  some  deep 
and  winding  dal. 

Trondhcim  was  soon  reached  from  the  Dovre  Feld. 
With  this,  one  of  the  oldest  cities  in  Norway,  the  young 
travellers  appear  to  have  been  much  pleased,  and  in- 
deed, considering  that  they  were  most  hospitably  treated, 
one  is  not  surprised.     But  Trondheim  has  attractions 
of  its  own.     It  lies   in   the  centre  of  a  fnie  bay  ;  the 
streets    are   wide ;    the  houses  attractive ;  the  inarket- 
place  unusually  large.     The  place  has  an  appearance  ot 
peacefulness,  which  the  ancient  ramparts,  now  covered 
with  turf,  only  heighten.     Of  historic  memories  Trond- 
heim has  many.     Its  cathedral  dates  from  a  very  early 
period,  and  was  originally  b>""lt  by  St.  Olaf,  and  dedicated 
to  St.  Clement ;  but  of  C        s  work  little  remains  but 
the  chapter-house.     The  south  transept  is  due  to  I  larold 
Hardcra?  'e,  who  built  it  six  years  before  ^hc  battle  of 
Hastings  ;  and  the  north  transept,  choir,  and  tower  are 
more  than  a  century  younger.     Vicissitudes  have  visited 
it ;   thrice — in   the   fourteenth,   fifteenth,  and   sixteenth 
centuries — it   has  been   burnt ;    several   times,   notably 
in  155  I,  it  has  been  pillaged  ;  in  the  seventeenth  century 
its  spire  was  blown  down,  and  in   the  eighteenth  its 
successor    was    destroyed    by    lightning.     Hardly    less 
unkind  had  been  the  hand  of  the  people  it  overshadows, 
for  at  this  period    the   whitewash  and  plaster  of   the 
Philistine  had  submerged  the  beautiful  carving  ;  marble 
and  alabaster  were  covered  with  the  same  abomination  ; 
and  four  and  five  stones  of  gallericp.  ruined  the  effect 
of  arch  and  column,  and  blocked  up  the  windows. 


SCANr)INA\IA   AM.    Rl'SSTA    IN    rSo5.  33 

r.yint;  in  the  bay,  about  a  mile  ulY  TroiKlh.ini    is  the 
small  .s  and  of  Munkl, .I,,,,  notable  as  atFordinK  r.K.tholcl 
or  a  state   pnson.     Wh.n   Hebe.      ..sited  it  he  fbu.u 
ainoMK  the  pnsoncs  a  man   who  had   Ikc.  ininunvd 
;;'•  ""."•'■    li.-^n  Idty  years.      JJttle  wonder,  pc.rl,a,>s.  thnt 
IMS  nund  had  g.vui  way.     To  make  matters  very  nuuh 
worse-   ,t  was  found,  ou  makiuj.-  inquiries,  that  no  one 
Hally  knew    he  can  ,e  of  his  imprisonment.     ( )n<«  man 
sau   he  had  done  violence  to  his  fathe,- ;  another,  that 
<:  l;ad  been  gn.lty  of  criminal  extravagance  ;  and  a 
.rd,  m.stakniK  perhaps  the  cfVect  for  the  cause,  said 
hat    he  was   n,ad.     Jt  is   probable  tbat  th.-  n,an  was 
■nmured  for  reasons  partly  private  and  partiv  political 
for  he  was  of  g(,od  fanu-ly,  had  been  a  naval  oflicc.,' 
and   indeed    V  as  the  sun  of  an  admiral.     It  is  only  fair 
..  add  that  for  some  timr  he  had  l>,,„  at  lib.Mty  to  leave 
Ins  pnson-bn.ken  down  and  aKvd  as  he  was,  har.nless 
'">  hxi.^er;   or   pn-ha,)s   th.-  fact  that,   havinj,^  surxived 
'Most  of  his  relat.vc-s,  he-  had  come  into  abundant  means 
was  a  reason  for  political  I,  nic-ncy  ;  but  it  came  too  late' 
No  persuasion  could  remove  the  old  man's  objection  to 
forsake  the  place  he  knew  for  the  world  lie  had   long 
01-otten,  or  shake  him  in  the  less  terrible  belief  that 
he  was  at  least  three  huiulred  years  old 

« Jf '''''\'^V'^''°"'^'''''"  ^^'""^  ^'^'b^''"  ^'•■■'^t  met  with  the 
Skates  which  are  now  so  familiar  to  us  by  their  Nor- 
wegian name-"  ski."  1  le  speaks  of  two  battalions  of 
soldiers,  drawn  from  the  'J'rondheim  district,  drill inir 
in  winter  shod  with  ski.  "When  they  ex^-cise  n 
skates  they  have  their  rifies  slung,  and  cany  a  staff 
.n  their  hands,  flattened  at  the  end'lo  prevent'its  sinf 
ing  into  the  snow,  and  to  assist  them  in  the  leaps  they 
are  sometimes  compelled  to  take  when  going  dovvn  hill 

Inch   oh".  T'  '°"k'""^'  ^'°  "'^'^  ^^••-'  4idity.  ov  ; 
such   obstacles  as  obstruct   their  progress.     The  only 

Heber"  wl/l"  /!"'"*  r'^''^   °''  ^^'-^"'"^  "IV  continued 

.  ^     '  ,    "   '-i.uc^r:-   in    his  mind,   ''is.  that   in 

^^.ntc,■  they  allow  between  the  files  roo.n  'to  tu'rn  in  the 
skates,  which  they  do  by  changing  the  right  foot  by 

3 


I 


34 


REGINALD   IIEP.ER. 


an  extraordinary   motion,   which   would    seem   enough 
to  dislocate  the  ankle.     We  examined  a  pan"  ot  these 
skates ;  they  are  not  above  six  or  eight  inches  broad 
and  of  different   lengths,   that   worn   on    the  leit   loot 
being  from  seven  to  nine  feet  long,  the  other  not  more 
than  four  or  live,  and  chiefly  used  as  a  means  of  direct- 
inr.  the  other."     A  few  days  later,  the  city  trainband 
tamed  out  for  its  annual  exercise,  and  the  Shropshire 
volunteer  exclaims:  "  A  perfect  burlesque,  worse  than 
the  worst  volunteers  ever  were  or  ever  wil    be  ;  they 
were  armed  with  rusty  muskets  and  long  three-edged 
swords,  and  wore  cocked  hats,  ^  with   long  blue  coats, 
like  our  bell-men  or  town-criers."  . 

The  profusion  of  vegetables  made  an  agreeable  im- 
pression,  which   is  not  unnatural   when   we  remember 
that  in  many  parts  of  Norway  it  is  vcny  difi.cult  to  get 
a  variety  of  garden  produce.     At  Trondheim  the  berries 
which  are  commonly  eaten  all  over  Norway  were  mucn 
in  evidence,   and    Heber    mentions  that  "  cranberries, 
wortleberries,   multiberries  (a   fruit  not  very  unlike  a 
mulberry,   wliich   grows  in   bogs  on  a  creeping  plant 
resembling  a  saxifrage),   strawberries,   and    mounta.n- 
ash  berries  are  in  conmion  use,  and  much  eaten  with 
meat  :  whenever  they  appear  on  a  table,  you  may  be 
sure  that  a  joint  of  meat  is,  sooner  or  later,  to  make  its 
appearance."     it  might  be  added  that  few  Amencans 
of  the   present    day   forego   the  delights  of  cranberry 
sauce  with  that  common  article  of  their  consumption, 

the  turkey.  ^  ., 

[Proceeding  through  a  wild  country  to  Roraas— the 
site  of  the  copper  industry  of  the  north-the  travellers 
journeyed  along  the  shore  of  Lake  Oresund  to  vis. 
an  encampment  of  Finns.  Stopping  the  first  night  at 
a  small  village,  where  they  slept  on  boards  covered 
witli  deer  skins,  they  crossed  "  the  most  desolatc>  country 
we  have  yet  seen  "-a  mixture,  one  gat  >ers,  of  lichen- 
covered  rocks  and  iruilti berry-covered  bog,  thin  woods 
of  stunted  birch,  shallow  pools,  and  sluggish  streams. 
Hebcr  compared  the  white-  mossy  covering  of  the  rocks 


SCANDINAVIA   AND   RUSSIA  IN    1805. 


35 


to  leprosy — yet  this  was  the  pasture  of  the  reindeer ! 
It  was  the  month  of  August  ;  yet  while  crossing  this 
region  a  snowstorm  swept  over  the  Httle  i)arty  and 
heightened  the  desolate  effect.  And,  to  complete  the 
semi-Arctic  scene,  groups  of  reindeer  were  met  with, 
standing  among  the  rocks  with  theii-  noses  thrust  out, 
sniffing  with  long  breaths  the  air  which  bore  to  them 


"    i' 


A    FINN    KNCAMPMENT. 


the    new    and   suspicious  scent    of  "the    blood    of  an 
Englishman." 

On  reaching  the  Finn  encampment  (the  tents  of 
which  Heber  compares  to  those  of  the  Terra  del 
Fuegans)  they  were  received  in  very  friendly  fashion. 
Good  entertaiinuent — the  best  they  had — was  offered 
by  the  Finns,  rhey  brought  out  milk  and  reindeer 
cheese ;  and  the  visitors  were  asked  to  rest  on  rein- 
deer skins.     Within  the   tents,  built   up  of  poles  and 


3|l 


36 


REGINALD   IIEHER. 


turfs  and  skins,  the  fires  smouldered  and  smoked,  and 
the  inhabitants  squatted  around. 

At    this   time   there  were    some    fifteen    small    Finn 
camps    in   the   district   of  Roraas,   the  people   kcepint? 
themselves    apart    from     the     Norwegians    and    inter- 
marrying among  themselves.     The  family  Ileber  was 
now  visiting  numbered  eight  in  all,  including  two  ser- 
vants.    They  seemed  to  be  in  a  fair  state  of  prosperity, 
although  the  housewife,  if  that  term  be    applicable  to 
a  dwi'ller  in  tents,   bitterly  complained  of  the  Swedes 
over  the  border,  who  had  lately,  during  some  temporary 
outbreak,    "lifted"    about    a    thousand    head    of  deer. 
This  family,   however,   still   had   a  herd  of  about  five 
himdrcd  left,  and  could  hardly  be  in  the  very  straitened 
circumstances  they  bewailed.     The  head  of  the  house 
was  an  old  man,  seventy-eight  years  of  age,  and  though 
perfectly  blind  was  otherwise  in  good  health.     Ileber 
mentions    that    the    men    came  up  to  the   elbow   of  a 
••common-sized     Englishman"  —  a    somewhat     vague 
standard  of  height ;  and  to  their  own  style  of  costume 
— shoes,  gaiters,  breeches,  and  long  coats  of  reindeer 
sl^in — they  had   added   articles  of  Norse  and  Swedish 
taste.     Simple    and    comparatively    primitive    as  these 
people  seemed,  they  could  all  read.     Mere,  too,  is  an 
interesting  note:  •'Their  mode  of  milking  the  reindeer 
is  singular  ;  they  first    catch   it  by   throwing  a  noose 
round  the  horns,   then  give  it  a  blow  on  the  loins,  on 
wliich  the  animal  immediately  lifts  up  its  leg,  and  the 
Finns,   bein^  30  dwarfish  a  race,  milk  it  standing." 

A  rapid  descent  of  the  valley  of  the  Glomni  brought 
the  party  to  Kongsvinger,  where  they  arrived  in  the 
middle  of  the  night,  to  find  that,  "as  usual  in  Norway," 
the  doors  of  the  inn  were  unfastened,  and  there  was 
no  difficulty  in  marching  unattended  up  to  a  bedroom. 
The  next  day  they  crossed  the  frontier  and  entered 
Sweden  ;  but  before  following  them,  there  are  one  or 
two  points  of  interest  which  Heber  has  dwelt  on  in  his 
private  letters,  and  may  be  briefly  alluded  to  here. 
It  will  be  seen  that  the  party  had  travelled  north  by 


SCANDINAMA   AND   RUSSIA    IN    1805. 


^7 


on 


the  Gudbrandsdal,  and   came     outh  by  the   Osterdal ; 
thus  seeing  the  richer  and  les>  inhospitable  section  of 
Norway — that   which   lies,   in    fact,   between   the   wild, 
mountainous    country    of  the    west    and    the;    Swedish 
frontier.     With  the  exception  of  the  passage  over  the 
Dovre  Feld    and   the  brief  excursion    into  the  district 
bordering  on  the  Kiolen  Range  when  they  visited  the 
Finn  encampment,  the  country  they  had  passed  through 
was    at  that  time   moderately  cultivated    by    a    simple 
peasantry.      In   man.y  parts   they  had   been   struck    by 
the  appearance  of  wealth  in  the  cottages  and  farms,  in 
the  shape   of  silver  spoons  and   folks,  even  of  silver 
coffee-pots  ;  and  many  of  the  farmers  possessed  large 
granaries    and    storehouses    for  oats,    hops,    malt,    salt 
meat,  and  fish.     The   people   were,    as  a  rule,  able  to 
read,   and   though    their   reading   seldom   went  beyond 
Luther's    cateciiism    or    the    Psalm-book,    they    hatl    a 
simple — shall   I   sa}-,  Arcadian  ?— grace  of  manner.      It 
is  but  a  touch,  but  the  touch  is  sufficient  to  call  up  a 
pretty  picture — that  note  of  how  Thornton  came  upon 
a    farm-maiden,    with    her  long   plaits    of  flaxen    hair, 
playing    on    a    live-stringed    guitar    to    call    the    cattle 
home  ! 

Of  the  lemmings  Heber  found  plentiful  traces.  In 
the  light  of  their  ravages  one  might  call  them  the 
locusts  of  the  north  ;  but  in  nature  and  appearance 
they  are  very  different.  You  might  take  a  lemming  for 
a  small-sized  rat,  dun-coloured  save  for  the  thin  rich 
black  streaks  on  the  back,  if  you  diil  not  examine  it 
very  closely.  They  come  down  from  the  mountains  in 
enormous  troops,  and  completely  devastate  the  grow- 
ing crops.  Indeed,  the  lemmings  were  at  this  time 
even  more  destructive  than  the  spring  Hoods — the 
numerous  mountain  torrents  in  this  season  overleaping 
their  channels,  and  pouring  all  over  the  lower  slopes 
and  valley  levels,  bringing  with  them  so  vast  a  quantity 
of  stones,  large  and  small,  that  the  land  is  strewn  until 
it  fairly  looks  like  a  sea-shore.  But  the  lemmings 
do  their  evil  work  in  the  autumn  ;  a  work  so  destruc- 


I 


38 


UF.GINALD   IIEHER. 


i  t 


tive  that  wc  hear  of  Norway  being  obliged  to  import 
large  quantities  of  corn  from  ICngland — then,  happily, 
able  to  provide  not  only  its  own  wants,  but  those  of 
others. 

1   liave  said  that  Norway,  at  the  beginning  of  this 
centurv,  belonged  to  Denmark,  and  was  under  the  inile 
of  the  King  of  Denmark.      It  is  worth  noting  that,   in 
order  to  esti'ange  the  Norwegians  as  much  as  possible 
from  the  Swedes,  the  DcUiish  goxcrnuuMit  imposed  a  new 
system — and  a  bad  system — of  spelling  upon  the  lormer. 
Still,   there  was   no  destroying  the  inherent  genius  of 
the    language,     or    its    aflinities    with     sister-tongues. 
Heber  was    interested  -as   many  an    Englishman    has 
been  since — to  ruid   how  like  that   language  is   to  the 
English  of  the  north  and  east.      1  le  exclaims  that  an 
Englishman,    especially    a    Yorkshireman,    can    haidly 
mistake  the  meaning  of  such  phrases  as  "bra  bairn," 
an  "ox  stek,"  a   "  skort  simmer,"  or  a  "  cald  winter  ;" 
or  fail  to  understand  when  told  to  "  sitta  dere,"  or  "  ga 
til  kirchen."     At  this  time,  it  may  be  added,  a  rigorous 
system  of  caste  prevailed  in  Norway.     However  rich 
one  of   the  peasant-caste  might    become,    his    son  re- 
mained in  the  peasant  grade,  and  was  not  only  com- 
pelled to  serve  liis  country  as  a  soldier,  but  at  the  same 
time  shut  out  from  all  chance  of  becoming  an  officer. 

We  may  now  follow  Meber  and  Thornton  on  their 
way  to  Upsala.  The  carriage  which  had  been  bought 
at  Gottenburg,  though  rickety,  was  still  of  service. 
The  country  through  which  they  were  now  going  was 
very  difierent  from  that  tract  of  it  they  had  already 
seen  on  their  way  from  Gottenburg  to  Norway.  The 
route  to  Upsala  is  rich,  varied,  and  well  cultivated. 
Allowing  for  the  single  exception  of  the  rocky  sub- 
stratum, Heber  rather  hapi^ily  compared  it  to  Leicester- 
shire. But  the  rocks  are  so  near  the  surface  that  he 
says  that  Sweden  may  be  compared,  in  general,  to  a 
maible  table  coveied  with  baize  ;  it  is  level  indeed,  and 
green,  but  the  veil  is  thin,  and  every  heie  and  there 
the   stone   peeps    through   the  cracks  of  its  covering. 


SCANDINAVIA   AND   RUSSIA   IN    1805. 


39 


P\-irmiiig  is  well  understood,  and  the  soil,  thoiigli  very 
light,  is  not  unproductive. 

At  Upsala,  of  course,  the  attraction  was  the  university. 
We  learn  that  the  professors  were  provided  with 
houses,  and  those  who  were  clergy,  with  prebends  in 
addition.  It  is  noticeable  that  there  were  many  lay- 
tutors  in  Upsala :  ninety  years  ago,  at  Oxford  or 
Cambridge,  it  would  have  been  diflicult  to  find  any. 
The  students  wore  black  gowns,  with  scarlet  facings 
— which  may  interest  the  scarlet-clothed  undergraduate 
of  Aberdeen.  At  one  time  the  students  were  differently 
clad  according  to  their  social  origin— Swede,  Ostrogoth, 
Westrogoth,'Finn,  or  Vandal;  and  from  this  division 
of  "  nations  "  arose  the  colleges,  which  are  not  colleges 
in  our  substantial  sense,  but  merely  groups  of  students 
united  under  different  heads,  and  having  separate 
endowments  attached.  At  Upsala,  Heber  found  that  the 
professor  of  liotany  had  been  a  good  deal  in  England, 
and,  to  his  chagrin,  professed  greater  admiration  for 
Cambridge  than  for  Oxford.  lie  complained,  bewails 
the  Oxonian,  that  Oxford  was  less  civilised  than  Cam- 
bridge, and  we  are  told,  not  without  a  suspicion  of 
triumph  in  the  words,  that  "  I  wanted  him  to  state  his 
si-r.vvrli  of  dislike,  but  could  not  succeed  in  keeping 
h'vn  to  the  point." 

Stockholm  was  ihc  next  halting-place,  and  the  beau- 
tiful natural  features  of  this  city  did  not  fail— have  they 
e\-er  failed  ? — to  make  an  impression  on  the  travellers. 
The  wooded  islands,  the  steep  hills,  the  fine  rocks,  on 
which  the  town  is  built,  the  network  of  bridges  over 
narrow  and  winding  waters,  the  open  fiord  beyond,  all 
unite  to  make  Stockholm  the  most  beautifully  situated 
city  in  Europe.  And  to  a  traveller  in  Scandinavia  the 
buildings  would  be  more  imposing  because  built  of 
stone  and  brick.  Lofty  domes  reared  up  against  the 
overhanging  woods  ;  the  great  palace  ("  as  big,  I 
think."  says  Keber,  "  as  five  Somerset  Houses  ") 
dominated  the  city  ;  while  seaward  the  spacious  quays 
presented  a  front  of  fine  solidity.     It  is  true  that  the 


!  'H 

j.  I, 


I  ^ 


■m 


40 


RllC.TNALT)   lIllliKR. 


Streets  were  narrow,  and  not  so  clean  as  the\'  are  now  ; 
true,  too,  we  fear,  that  the  inns  were  "as  dirty  and  as 
dear,   and  the  landlords  as  impudent,  as   in  any   part 
of  the   world;"  hut   in   the  short  time  they  stayed  at 
.Stockholm  the  travellers  found  Swedish  society  of  the 
hcst  sort  as  polished  as  any  they  knew  ;  and  little  to 
controvert  their  opinion   that  for  cleanliness,  industry, 
and    honesty   the  Swedes   are    hard    to    heat.     At   the 
Arsenal — a  sort  of  historical  museum— they  were,  of 
course,    much   interested    in   seeing    the  uniforms  and 
accoutrements    of  the  heroes  Gustavus  Adolphus  and 
Charles  XII.     Of  the  latter  llcber  writes  :   "  We  were 
surprised  to  find  that  this  great  hero  had  been  so  small 
and  slight-made  a  man  ;  his  gloves  and  boots  prove  it 
strongly;  neither  Thornton  nor  myself  could,  with  all 
possible  straining,  have  made  the  coat  button  over  the 
breast  ;  with   ine  it  absolutely  would  scarcely  come  on 
at    all;    and   the    sleeves    vv^ere    also   much    too   short. 
The  sword,  however,  which  is  a  rapier  almost  five  feet 
long,  has  something  heroic  about  it;  and  there  was  a 
standard  Just  by  which  Charles  had  taken  with  his  own 
hands  from  a  Saxon  officer." 

At  the  end  of  September  Ileber  and  Thornton 
crossed  the  Gulf  of  Bothin'a,  sailing  from  Stockholm, 
and  landing  at  Abo.  I  may  point  out  that  by  crossing 
to  Abo  they  had  not  left  Sweden.  For  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  century  Finland  was  not  wholly  Russian  ; 
a  good  half  belonged  to  Sweden,  only  to  be  lost  during 
the  next  war  with  Russia,  and  finally  ceded,  with 
Bothnia  and  the  Aland  Islands,  by  the  treaty  of  Frcderik- 
shannii  (1809).  The  Swedish  connection  had  lasted 
for  six  centuries,  and  whatever  of  culture  Finland 
possessed  was  due  to  Sweden  ;  but  Russia  did  not 
prove  unreasonable,  and  to  this  day  the  Finlanders 
possess  a  Diet  of  their  own  and  a  separate  army. 
Further,  their  language  and  racial  characteristics  have 
gained  rather  than  lost  by  the  change. 

Ikit  i  am  anticipating.    When  Heber  crc  -ed  the  gulf, 
Aland  and  Abo  were  still  Swedish.     He  telis  us  of  the 


SCANDINAVIA   AND   RUSSIA   IN    1805. 


41 


course  between   huiulreds   of  rocky   islets  aixl   of  low 
reefs,  some  bare  and  some  wooded  to  the  water's  edge ; 
he  recounts   how  on   an   islet  they  encamped   for    the 
night,    the    sailors    only   venturing    on    navigation    by 
day  ;  he  is  surprised  to  lind  that  women   are  counted 
among  the  crew,  and  act  as  such,  and  mentions  that  at 
Stockholm  a  man  would  as  soon  think  of  rowing  a  boat 
as  knitting  a  stocking  ;  he  gossips  pleasantly  about  a 
poor  Finn  student  who  had  not  the  money  to  pay  his 
passage  to  Abo,  and,  in  return   lor  a  free  passage,  c.n- 
versed  with  them   in    Latin,    "after  a   most  barbarous 
fashion,"  on  the  state  of  Finland  ;  and  he  is  impressed 
by  the   pleasant   looks   and   manners  of  the  people  of 
Aland.    Thence  across  to  Abo,  which  might  be  described 
as  a  place  possessing  an  archbishop,  fifteen  professors, 
three  hundred  students,  a  ruined  castle,  a  whitewashed 
cathedral,  and,  certainly,  the  most  northern  university 
in   Furope.      Perhaps  the  chief  thing  of  interest  to  us 
is  the  monument  in  the  cathedral  to  Sir  John  Cockburn, 
one  of  the  many   Scotch   soldiers   who    fought    under 
Ciustavus  Adolphus.     Helsingfors  and  Wyborg  Ileber 
found  to  be  "  wretched  i)laces,"  though  the  country  was 
fertile  and  the  people  numerous  ;  and  at  Frederikshanmi 
he  entered  Russian  Finland,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
dominions  of  Czar  Alexander  L 

When  Ileber  visited  Russia,  the  frontiers  of  that 
great  state  were  far  more  contracted  than  they  are 
now.  Yet  the  century  had  just  closed  on  a  series  of 
territorial  expansions  nothing  less  than  remarkable. 
Round  the  small  Slaxonic  princedoms  of  Novgorod 
and  Kiev  the  Ivans  and  Alexis  had  gathered  state  after 
state,  until  the  Empire  of  Russia  took  shape  and  sub- 
stance;  the  fourth  and  last  Ivan  had  even  crossed 
the  Urals  and  annexed  Siberia.  But  although  he 
swept  down  on  the  Cossacks  and  absorbed  them, 
the  coveted  Black  Sea,  and  that  of  Azov,  were  still 
outside  the  boundary  of  his  empire.  Early  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  however,  in  the  reign  of  Peter  the 
Great  and  for  the  first  time  in  her  histor}',  Russia  burst 


4- 


UKdINALD   TIEP.KR. 


the  baiTiLi-.s  that  insulatfd  hci-  in  a  continental  mass  of 
land,  and  gained  an  outlit  to  tin-  \vni-|d  on  tiie  shores 
of  the  Baltic.  The  foundation  of  Petersburg  coni- 
MKinoratt's  that  triuni])li.  Later  on  came  the  conquests 
on  the  Caspian  ;  and  under  Catherine  II.  the  Crimea 
and  the  Black  Sea  were  reached.  The  fortress-cities 
of  Sevastopol  ami  Odessa  arose  to  mark  this  imf)ortant 
step.  Just  before  this,  and  for  twelve  years  subse- 
(juently,  the  encroachments  on  the  old  kingdom  of 
Poland  proceeded  so  successfully  that  round  the  whole 
of  Poland,  with  the  single  exception  of  the  Duchy  of 
Warsaw  (s(K)n  to  meet  tlie  same  fate),  the  fi'ontiers  of 
tlie  White  C/ar  were  drawn.  Courland  followed,  and 
from  the  I>lack  Sea  to  the  Baltic  Russia  ruled  the 
region  abutting  on  tlie  kingdoms  of  Prussia  and 
Hungary.  Then  she  crossed  the  Caucasus,  and 
Georgia  fell   to   her  sword. 

What  remained  ?  Swedish  Finland — to  complete 
Russian  supremacy  of  the  eastern  littoral  of  the  Baltic  ; 
and  Warsaw — to  finally  wipe  Poland  off  the  map. 
This  completed  Russian  Europe,  if  wo  anticipate  the 
pacification  of  much  that  was  newly  wo  i  and  not  yet 
Slavonised,  and  overlook  that  little  piece  of  Bessarabia 
which  was  to  make  her  almost  next-door  neighbour 
to  Kuroi)ean  Turkey,  but  which  she  does  not  get  until 
1878.  In  Asia  she  is  to  plunder  Persia,  Bokhara, 
Afghanistan,  Turkestan,  and  even  far  Japan  ;  but  with 
this  we  have  nothing  now  to  do.  When  Ileber  came 
into  Russia,  Poland,  the  Crimea,  and  Georgia  were 
but  newly  won  ;  Swedish  Finland  watched  and  fettered 
Russian  action  on  the  Neva;  Czar  Paul,  with  his  mad 
policies  and  fui"ious  enmities,  had  fallen  by  the  assas- 
sin's hand  in  the  Mikhailovski  Palace,  and  Alexander  1. 
reigned  in  his  stead. 

Petersburg — the  creation  of  the  man  who  found 
Russia  Asiatic  and  left  it  European — was  at  this  time 
barely  a  hundred  years  old.  Yet  it  was  a  city  of 
strikmg  proportions  and  magnificent  buildings.  Heber 
crossed  the  Neva  on  the  bridge  of  boats,  and,  looking 


SCANDINAVIA    AND    RUSSIA    IN    1805. 


43 


up  and  down  the  iiv(T,  beheld  the  j;iTat  hnildings 
cm  the  banks  which  to-day  lurni  the  chiefest  claim 
of  Fetersburj;-  to  a  beautiful  city.  It  was  larly  in 
October  when  11, ■  aiTived,  and  the  "little  winter"  of 
the  Russians — a  short  season  ol'  IVost  which  usually 
accompanies  the  autumn — had  bef^^un.  Soon,  however, 
the  frost  of  the  real  winter  set  in,  diihough  not  in 
great  severity  till  the  middle  of  November.  So  the 
travellers  began  jnu'chasing  furs  and  preparing  for 
the  rigours  of  a  Russian  winter. 

Towards  tlv;  end  of  October  Ileber  wrote  home  to 
his  mother  tha.t  the  Russians  of  the  upper  classes 
were  already  in  their  furs  ;  but  he  adtled  :  "  I  have 
observed  both  here  and  in  Sweden,  where  the  cold 
is  always  comparatively  noderate,  that  the  gentleiiien, 
from  their  indolent — 1  had  almost  said  eiR'minate — 
lives,  and  fiT)m  the  great  heat  of  their  houses,  are 
much  more  chilly  than  Englishmen,  if  a  .Swede  rides 
out  the  hottest  da}-  in  sunnuer,  the  i)robability  is  that 
he  wears  a  swansdown  great  coat  and  a  silk  hand- 
kerchief about  his  mouth  and  ears ;  nor  shall  1  ever 
forget  the  looks  of  astonishment  and  alarm  which  an 
open  window  never  failed  to  produce.  An  officer  in 
the  guards  would  as  soon,  or  sooner,  face  a  cannon 
than  a  draught  of  air." 

Ileber  and  'J'hornton  intended,  at  this  time,  to  stay 
in  Petersburg  till  Christmas,  and  then  travel  west  into 
Germany,  l^iut  everything  depended  on  the  turn  that 
the  war  should  take,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  these 
plans  were  very  considerably  modified.  Meanw'iile 
let  us  follow  him  as  he  moves  about  Russia,  and  notes 
the  ways  of  the  Russians  at  the  begiiniing  of  this 
century. 

In  the  first  place  we  find  that  he  is  not  disposed 
to  admire  I'etersburg.  It  was,  perhaps,  too  new,  and 
certainly  too  shoddy,  for  the  young  man  '"1  sprang 
from  an  ancient  family  and  was  reared  amid  the  vener- 
able colleges  of  Oxford.  There  is  nothing  more  striking, 
he  exclaims,  than  the  rottenness  of  this  splendid  city. 


§    i^ 


44 


UIXMXAr.l)    IIKMKR. 


Accustomed  to  I)I()cks  of  solitl  stoiu',   he  is  aghast  at 
tlu'   stuccoctl   houses,  churches,   and   pubhc   buikhiig's. 
I'l-oni  the  porticoes  of  palaces  and  churches  the  stucco 
was  often  broken  away,  reveaHng  rotten   bricks  below. 
Nevertheless,   in    spite    of  the  sham  and  the  want  of 
solidity,  there  was  a  magnificence  which  arrested  the 
eye  and  commanded  admiration.     Tiie  great  domes,  the 
many  spins,  the  countless  minan  ts  blazed  in  the  light 
ol  the  sun  like  fire,  for  they  were  all  richly  gilded.    Al(?iig 
the  banks  of  the  Neva  the  long  succession  of  sumptuous 
palaces  compelled  praise;  their  domes  anti  turrets  to  , 
were    gilded,   and    huge  gilt    railings    fenced   off  their 
gardens.     'J'he  domed    Jaurida  Palace,  the   Hermitage 
the  Winter  Palace,  the  jnilace  of  St.   Michael  with  'ks 
gilded     sj^ire,    the    huge    citadel    with    great     bulging 
bastions    of    granite  — looking    the     vaster    and    Miore 
durable  for  the  little  cottage  of  Peter  the  Cleat  which 
nestled   below,  — these  are  some  of  the   long   ranges  of 
buildings,    magnificent    if    only    with    a    semi-barbaric 
magnificence,    which     make     the     Neva     i)rospect    so 
admirable.     Then,  on   entering  the  town,  buildings  of 
hardly  less  iK)te  met  the  eye.      Driving  past  the  statue 
of  Peter  the  Great  to  the  Quai  de  Galerenhof,  Ileber 
writes,     "  Our    admiration     was     continually    on     the 
stretch  ;  "  and  he  adds  that  "  it  is  certain  that,  however 
deficient  in  taste,  convenience,  or  durability  each  build- 
ing taken  separately  may  appear,  as  a  whole  the   plan 
and   coup  d\vil  of  Petersburg   may   b'    consid(.-red  as 
almost  a  standard  of  beauty.   .   .   .   Its  streets  are  gene- 
rally very  wide,  and  the  houses  low,  nor  always  con- 
tiguous ;  the  Nevska  perspective  is  the  principal,  which 
IS  divided  in  the  middle  by  a  raised  gravel  walk,  railed 
ui  and  planted  with  lime  trees.     'I  Uese  rails,  as  well  as 
all  public  buildings,   bridges,  sentry-boxes,  and  guard- 
houses,   are   chequered    black   and    wiiite ;  this   was    a 
whim    of  Paul's.     The   houses  are  mostly  very  large, 
built  round  courts,  and  generally  divided  into  twenty 
or  thirty  ciifTerc  nt  tenements.      I  remember  Kerr  l^orter 
hunting  about  a  whole  morning  for  a  house  of  which  he 


SCANDINAVIX   AND   RUSSIA    IN    1S05. 


45 


knew  both  the  street  and  the  miinlur."  I  Ic  makes  three 
e.xeeptiniis,  it  slioiiUl  he  ndded,  to  thi'  prevaiUnj^^  system 
of  huilding  with  inrerior  hriek,  and  jilasterin^-  it  with 
stueco  in  in.itation  of  stone, — the  Marhle  Palace,  the 
Maihle  Chuirh,  and  the  Cathechal  of  Our  Lady  of 
Kazan  ;  but  die  re  were  many  houses  and  churehes 
whieli  were  painted  in  imitation  of  marble,  and  it  stems 
that  the  Russians  attained  great  skill  in  the  count(  fiit. 
"  The  marble,"  says  Ileber,  "  it  is  impossible  to  dls- 
tinj4uish  fi-om  real;"  and  he  adds,  with  a  si  se  of  the 
useful,  "  it  costs  one  ruble  the  square  arskine."  (An 
arskine  is  equal  to  two  feet  four  inches.  I  might  also 
mention  here  that  forty  Russian  pounds  equal  thirty- 
six  pounds  English,  and  that  at  this  time  a  ruble  was 
worth  two  shillings  and  I'ightpence  English  money.  As 
one  hundred  copeks  go  to  the  ruble,  the  value  of  a 
copek  would  be  about  a  third  of  a  penny.) 

Excellent  introductions  to  the  British  End)assy  and 
other  influential  pirsons  gave  the  young  tiavellers  the 
t'litnr  to  everything  worth  seeing.  Ileber  seems  to 
have  been  little  imjM-essed  by  Czarsco-Zelo  or  Gatchina, 
except  for  their  gnat  size  and  the  interest  inspired  by 
their  associations.  The  I'ormer  was  the  favourite  home 
of  Catherine  II. — the  latter  was  bought  by  Czar  Paul 
from  Potemkin.  At  Czarsco-Zelo  there  was  a  huge 
glass  gallery  used  as  a  winter  -esort  by  the  inmates  ; 
and  here  Ileber  saw  the  bust  of  Charles  James  Fox 
between  those  of  l)enu)sthenes  and  Cicero.  The  atti- 
tude of  Fox  to  the  French  Revolution  caused  him  to 
fall  out  of  favour,  and  the  bust  was  removed,  oidv  to 
be  replaced  by  Paul.  The  situation  of  Czarsco-Zelo 
did  not  meet  with  Heber's  approval  ;  it  is,  he  says, 
"  the  most  dirty  and  boggy  conceivable,"  On  the  other 
hand,  we  are  interested  in  hearing  that  **  its  gardens  , 
are  laid  out  in  the  English  manner ;  and  the  gardener 
here,  as  almost  everywhere  throughout  Russia,  is  of 
English  extraction."  Later  on,  describing  a  visit  to 
the  Taurida  Palace  (which  had  been  presented  to  the 
Empress  Catherine  by  Potemkin,  prime  favourite  and 


46 


KEGINAM)    IIKIIEK. 


till'  virtual   nikr  ul    Russia  chwiu^  h,r  rciirii),  ht'  finds 
that  tlic  gartltnt'i-  is  "an  old  servant  (.f  Mr.  \V.  i^ootli's, 
of  Latham."      N'isitin.t;   the   Wintd'   Palace,    he   is    im- 
pressed   with    the    simplieity  ot    the    Imperial    private 
rooms;  and  very  intcrestid  in  the  suite  of  apartments 
tHeiipied  by  C'i^ar  I'aul  just  previous  .o  his  assassination. 
I  he  story  of  that  assassination  was  toUl  in  the  |)apers 
of  General  Sablukov,   who   was   on  duty  at   the  time. 
Czar    Paul  was  actually  strani;led   by  Zubov,    Pahlen,' 
and  other  eonsjiirators   -if  this  term  "may  be  applied  to 
nun  who  acted   for  the   j^ood  of  their  country.      Paul 
had  imperilled  that  country's  safety  by  his  mad  policy, 
and  incurred  the  hatred  of  his  subjects  by  his  injustice 
and    caprice ;    it   was    almost   universally  felt    that    he 
f^'.hould  be  macU;  to  abdicate  ;  but  action  was  left  to  the 
desperate,    and    not    unnaturally    the    desperate    matle 
away  with  him  altot;ether. 

Paul's  apartments  were  preserved   by  his  widow  in 
precisely  the  same  state  in  which  \u-  left  them.      Ileber 
tells  us  that  "  not  a  book   or  article   of  furniture  has 
been  removed  from  its  exact  place  ;  one  book  in  parti- 
cular remains  turned  down  open  on   its  face,  to  mark 
where  he  had  left  ofV  reading-.     The  table  is  covered 
with  models  for  cocked  hats  and  uniforms,  and  the  walls 
with  coloured  half-sheets,  representing  the  uniforms  of 
the  diffiient  Russian  regiments  ;  his  clothes  and  linen 
are  lying-  carelessly  about  the  room,  and  are  preserved 
with  the  same  religious  care.      In  an  adjoining  library 
were  dc-posited  regularly  the  standards  of  the  ditTerent 
regiments  in  garrison   in  Petersburg,  and   these  have 
also  been  alloweil  to  remain.     What  appears  to  be  a 
part  of  the  bookcase  slides   back,  and   you  ascend  by 
a  dai-k  and  narrow  staircase  into  an  unsuspecti  d  suite 
of  rooms  above,  small,  low,  and  not  to  be  discovered 
even  on  the  outside  of  the  building  by  thee  who  are 
not  thoioughly  ac(|uainl«(l  with  it.      I'hey  consist  of  a 
bedroom,  study,  and  oratory,  all  filled  with  a  collection 
of  miniature  pictures,   and    richly  furnished;    but    the 
appearance  of  the  whole  is  gloomy  and  desolate,  and 


SCXNDTN.WIA   AND    RUSSIA    IN    1805. 


47 


gives  the  idea  of  the  tyrant's  den  in  Drydeii's  '  Sigisnionda 
and  (iuiscaitlo.'  " 

liel)(  I  iiaclud  I'ctershnrg  just  iKfoic  tlic  date  of 
the  Battle  of  'J  rafalgar ;  ami,  siiortly  afterwards,  we 
find  him  writing  home  that  the  war  against  France  is 
very  i)opidar,  and  that  the  Knssian  people  are  friendly 
to  Kngland  a'ld  appreciate  Pitt,  though  they  could  wnt 
inulerstand  his  policy  of  inactivity  duiiug  tiie  coalition 
then  in  force.  He  says,  too,  that  the  Russians  are 
inclined  to  attribute  the  Austrian  reverses  to  this  lack 
of  Hritish  support,  and  adds,  "Thank  God,  the  victoi-y 
of  Trafalgar,  followed  up  by  the  arrival  of  (leneral  1  km 
at  Cuxhaven,  has  tiuiu  d  the  scale  in  oui-  favour,  and 
the  destruction  of  lioulogne,  of  which  we  are  in  daily 
hopes  to  hear,  will  give  new  spirits  to  tlie  friends  of 
Kngland,  and  of  what  is  emphatically  called  'the  good 
cause.'" 

The  Emperor  was  away  at  the  seat  of  war  when 
Ileber  arrived  at  IVtersburg ;  but  the  overthrow  of 
(uneral  Mack  at  IJlm,  who  was  in  (October  foiced  by 
Napoleon  to  surrender  with  28,000  Austrians  at  his 
back  ;  the  subsequent  occupation  of  Vienna  by  the 
French  ;  and  the  defeat  of  the  allied  armies  of  Russia 
and  Austria  at  Austerlitz  in  December,  led  to  the  treaty 
of  l^ressbui-g  and  tem|iorary  peace.  Austerlitz  was  'e 
greatest  battle  that  had  yet  been  fought  in  Eur  j ; 
'i'rafalgar  was  for  awhile  forgotten,  and  the  blow  fell 
with  such  force  on  Pitt  that  he  ('!  <l  six  weeks  later. 
If  anything  could  add  to  t\v  dse  if  all-round  defeat 
whic'i  the  European  powers,  banded  together  against 
Napiileon,  were  then  enduring,  it  was  the  cession  of 
Prussia  to  France  (in  return  for  Napol.  n's  bribe 
of  Hanover) -a  step,  by  the  way,  which  made  it  impos- 
sible for  Ileber  to  return  to  England  direct  through 
that  country. 

C/ar  Alexander  came  back  from  the  defeat  of 
Austerlitz  to  the  sympathy  of  a  devoted  people.  "Zlis 
arrival,"  says  Ileber,  "was  perfectly  sudden  and 
unexpected;    he  was    at    Gatchina,    thirty    mile-    from 


4S 


REGINALD    IIEIiER. 


J. 

i 


hence,  before  liis  setting  out  from  the  army  was  known, 
and  arrived  in  Petersburg  about  live  in  the  morning. 
His  first  visit  was  jiaid  to  the  Cathedral  of  our  Lady 
of  Kazan,  where  he  spent  some  time  in  prayer;  he  then 
joined  his  wife  and  mother  at  the  palace.  The  people, 
in  the  meantime,  assembled  in  prodigious  crowds  before 
the  gate ;  and  when,  about  half-past  nine,  he  came  out 
to  inspect  the  guard,  the  whole  mob  gave  one  of  the 
most  tremendous  and  universal  shouts  which  I  ever 
heard  ;  they  thronged  round  him,  kissing  his  hands, 
his  boots,  and  clothes,  with  an  enthusiasm  which  per- 
fectly disregarded  the  threats  and  cudgels  of  the  police 
officers.  Some  men  were  telling  their  beads  and  cross- 
ing themselves  ;  others,  with  long  black  beards,  crying 
and  blubbering  like  children,  and  the  whole  scene  was 
the  most  affecting  picture  of  joy  which  I  ever  saw. 
When  he  was  at  length  disengaged  he  went  along  the 
line,  each  company  as  he  passed  giving  him  the  deep- 
toned  short  cheer  which  is  their  customaiy  morning 
exclamation,  'Bless  you,  Alexander  Povlovitz.'  His 
person  is  not  unlike  the  idea  I  had  previously  formed, 


though 


he    is    rather    thinner   and    slighter    made.     1 


cannot  help  fancying  that  his  countenance  is  strongly 
expressive  of  the  great  fatigue  and  inquietude  which  he 
has  undergone ;  but,  as  1  never  saw  him  before,  I  am, 
of  course,  very  unable  to  judge  of  his  present  looks. 
He  is  certainly  a  handsome  man,  but  loses  iiiuch  of 
his  height  by  stooping,  which  is,  perhaps,  occasioned 
by  his  being  very  short-sighted.  His  arrival  has  con- 
tributed greatly  to  keep  up  the  spirits  of  the  Peters- 
burgers,  w^ho  comfort  themselves  now  with  abusing 
the  conduct  of  Austria,  and  submit  with  great  cheerful- 
ness to  a  new  levy  of  one  man  in  every  hundred." 

Elsewhere  Heber  mentions  that  the  Emperor's  chief 
amusement  lay  in  drilling  his  guards,  the  daily  parade 
of  which  was  a  very  fine  sight  ;  as  the  troops  passed 
the  Emperor  they  invariably  shouted  their  curious 
salute,  "  Bless  you,  Alexander,  son  of  Paul."  The 
habits   of  Alexander   were    very    simple,    he    and    the 


SCANDINAVIA   AND   RUSSIA   IN    1805. 


49 


Empress    liv 


in£ 


more     like    private    persons    than 


princes."  I  leber  tells  us  that  the  Court  and  the  town 
were  **  the  dullest  in  the  world."  Through  influential 
friends  he  obtained  access  to  the  palace,  and  saw 
Alexander's  private  study  and  dressing-room.  The 
study  was,  we  are  told,  "  apparently  just  as  he  had  left 
it,  and  answered  completely  to  my  ideas  of  what  a 
monarch's  retirement  should  be."  Here  is  the  ideal  : 
"  The  table  was  heaped  with  books,  which  w'e  were  not 
allowed  to  meddle  with  or  take  up,  but  among  which 
I  thought  I  distinguished  Guichard  and  Folard  ;  and 
round  the  room,  which  is  small,  were  piled  a  great 
number  of  swords,  musquets,  rifles,  and  bayonets  of 
different  kinds  and  inventions ;  in  the  window-seats 
were  some  books  of  finance." 

Heber,  a  Greek  scholar,  was  naturally  interested  in 
the  way  in  which  the  Greek  tongue  had  been  nn'xcd 
with  Russian.  He  writes  to  his  brother  Richard  that, 
after  paying  a  number  of  visits,  they  tell  the  driver  to 
drive  Jo/xeo?  (ciomits,  home).  A  Nestor  hands  a  plate  and 
an  Athanasius  drives  a  sledge  ;  and  in  one  of  his  letters 
he  humorously  says  that  he  fears  he  will  be  "  too  late 
for  the  nn^T  "  (post),  "  for  so  is  the  post  spelt  and 
pronounced  by  a  Russian." 

The  number  of  dependants— these  were,  of  course, 
the  days  of  serfdom — for  so  recent  a  period  as  the 
beginning  of  this  centur}^,  seemed  to  a  native  of 
Western  Europe  nothing  less  than  extraordinary  ;  for 
at  this  date  a  gentleman  in  Russia  seldom  owned  less 
than  fifty,  and  the  greater  noblemen  frequently  had  as 
many  as  five  hundred  servants.  Although  the  owner 
possessed  great  authority  over  his  slaves,  and  could 
flog  or  imprison  them,  he  was  held  accountable  to  the 
law  for  any  great  or  unreasonable  cruelty.  Heber  en- 
countered cases  where  noblemen  had  been  immured  in 
monasteries  fci-  cruelty  to  slaves  ;  he  speaks  of  a  certain 
countess  who  had  been  for  years  in  prison  in  Moscow 
for  a  similar  cause  ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  slaves  some- 
times retaliated,  generally  using  poison  as  their  agent. 


■'    ! 


30 


REGINALD   HE  HER. 


■I  k 


tv 


There  was  one  ceremony  which  Ileber  witnessed 
at  Petersburg,  and  must  not  be  overloolvcd  by  his 
biographer.  It  was  his  first  introduction  to  Moham- 
medans and  their  worship.  The  beginning  of  the 
month  i^amadan — the  Moliammcdan  Lent— was  cele- 
brated with  some  stateh'ness  in  iVtersburg,  owing  to 
tlie  great  number  of  Mohammedans  resident  in  the 
city.  Ileber  jxmarks  that  "  they  were  the  most  decent, 
attentive  congregation  "  tiiat  he  had  seen  since  he  had 
leit  England — which  reflects  alike  on  Lutherans,  Roman 
and  Greek  Catholics.  lie  mentions,  by  the  way,  that 
he  saw  a  sailor  strip  himself  nearly  naked  in  order 
that  lie  might  not  wear  green  when  at  prayer — green 
being  the  colour  of  the  Russian  uniform,  and  also  the 
colour  forbidden  to  all  but  the  direct  descendants  of 
the  Prophet.  These  enthusiasts  had  met  in  the  hall 
of  the  Mikhaik)vski  Palace,  adoi-ned  with  sculptures 
and  efligies  of  eagles  ;  over  all  these  carven  images 
sheets  had  been  carefully  drawn  and  fastened. 

It  is  somewhat  curious,  knowing  whither  Heber's 
steps  would  lead  him  bef(>re  the  end  came,  to  find  him 
writing  tliat  "  this  is  indeed  the  only  sight  of  Mohamme- 
dan manners  which,  in  all  probability,  1  shall  ever  have." 
And  it  is  interesting  to  note  the  attitude  of  sympathy 
he  had  thus  early  assumed  to  the  followers  of  a  ci-eed 
which,  though  it  is  answei-able  for  many  fearful  crimes 
and  enormous  social  degi-adation,  has  yet  begotten 
noble  virtues. 

And  now,  grumbling  a  good  deal  at  the  expense  of 
dress  in  Russia — the  cheapest  winter  suit  of  iurs  costing 
fi-om  twenty-five  to  thirty  guineas— llcber  and  Thornton 
started,  after  a  visit  to  Cronstadt  and  the  Peterhof,  on 
their  sledge-journey  to  Moscow.  It  was  the  last  day 
but  one  of  an  eventful  year,  on  December  30th,  1805,  that 
this  observant  brace  of  travellers  set  out  on  their  mid- 
winter journey  over  the  frozen  plains  of  Russia.  They 
travelled  by  post  at  a  rapid  rate,  and  soon  reached  the 
Valdai  Mountains,  which  Ileber  characterised  as  low 
stony  hills,  the  Russians  not  knowing  what  mountains 


, 


I 


I 


SCANDINAVIA   AND   RUSSIA   IN    l8o: 


51 


were.  These  hiils  formed  the  ancient  frontier  between 
Novgorod  and  Great  Russia,  for  even  at  the  time  when 
rieber  wrote  Petersburg  was  merely  considered  a 
conquest  and  a  colony,  and  Novgorod  itself  was  an 
acquisition.  Looking  down  upon  Valdai  from  the 
neighbouring  hills,  Ileber  likened  the  view  of  the  city 
t(^  that  of  Oxford  as  seen  from  the  Banbury  road. 
They  came  in  sight  of  it  about  sunrise,  and  we  are  told 
that  Thornton  drew  the  curtains  of  the  kibitka  and 
called  out,  "  England  !  " 

The  country  through  which  they  had  travelled  was 
neither  fertile  nor  beautiful, — "  the  most  fiat  and  un- 
interesting I  ever  saw," — and  the  district  thence  to 
Moscow  was  only  less  unattractive.  The  kibitka,  the 
carriage  in  which  they  travelled  (their  own  vehicle 
had  gradually  become  more  and  more  decrepit  as  it 
wandered  through  Sweden  and  Norway,  and  on  reach- 
ing Petersburg,  after  having  served  their  turn  for  two 
thousand  miles,  it  finally  succumbed),  was  the  usual 
conveyance  employed  by  Russian  gentlemen  on  winter 
journeys.  I  leber  described  it  as  nothing  more  than  a 
very  large  bottomless  cradle,  covered  over  with  leather, 
and  having  a  leather  curtain.  This  cradle  was  placed 
on  a  sledge  ;  on  this  the  luggage  was  carefully  packed, 
and  over  the  luggage  was  laid  a  mattress.  It  is  on  this 
mattv..  -  that  the  travellers  reclined,  or,  with  the  aid 
off  ::  ,  sat  up  to  look  out  on  the  country.  Given 
good  roads,  weather  not  too  cold,  and  plenty  of  warm 
furs,  a  journey  in  such  a  vehicle  was  comfortable 
enough. 

Having  their  guns  with  them,  they  occasionally  left 
the  sledge  and  enjoyed  some  sport  with  the  large  black 
grouse  of  Russia,  which  is  nearly  as  large  as  a  turkey ; 
but  the  birds  were  wild,  and  close  quarters  impossible. 
Though  wolves  sometimes  crossed  their  road  it  was  at 
night,  and  Heber  tells  us  that  before  either  he  or 
Tliointon  could  be  roused  and  get  their  guns  out  the 
beasts  were  lost  in  the  fir  forests.  Making  the  best  of 
all   their  opportunities,   the   travellers  found  out  what 


' } 


Mi 


■s 


5^ 


RECJNATJ)    IIEHER. 


II.    1 


they  could  about  the  stato  of  tin-  peasantry,  an:I  visited 
the  serfs  in  their  cottages. 

A  Russian  cottage,  we  are  told,  is  "always  built  of 
logs  cemented  with  clay  and  moss,  and  is  genei-ally 
larger  than  an  Knglish  one  ;  it  has  two  stories,  one  of 
which  is  half  sunk  and  serves  as  a  storehouse  ;  two- 
thirds  of  the  upper  story  arc  taken  up  with  the  principal 
room,  where  they  sit  and  sleep  ;  and  the  remainder  is 
divided  between  a  closet,  where  they  cook  their  victuals, 
and  an  iiuniense  stove,  not  unlike  an  oven,  which  heats 
the  whole  building,  and  the  top  of  which — for  the 
chimney  is  only  a  small  flue  on  the  side  — scr\es 
as  a  favourite  sitting  and  sleeping  place,  though  we 
could  scarcely  bear  to  lay  our  hands  on  it.  In  the 
corner  of  the  great  room  always  stands  the  bed  of  the 
master  and  mistress  of  the  family,  generally  very  neat, 
and  with  curtains,  sometimes  of  English  cotton  ;  the 
other  bi'anches  of  the  family  sleep  on  the  stove  or  floor. 
In  the  post-houses,  whicli  difter  in  no  respect  from  this 
description,  we  always  found  good  coffee,  tea,  and 
cream  ;  nothing  else  can  be  expected,  and  we  carried 
our  other  provisions  with  us." 

The  country  grew  richer  with  every  verst  the}- 
travelled.  Sanki  after  sanki  (one-horse  sledges)  passed 
them  in  rapid  succession — Heber  thought  he  passed 
a  thousand  in  a  day — all  laden  with  provisions  for 
Petersbui'g.  The  horst:s  were  well  grown  and  well 
i\x\,  and  could  be  cajoled  into  a  very  good  pace. 
The  drivers  either  sang  their  folk-songs  or  shouted 
to  their  horses  as  they  went.  They  seldom  beat  their 
horses,  but  would  argue  with  them  in  a  most  peaceable 
manner ;  should  this  prove  unavailing,  the  driver 
would  try  abuse,  and  cull  his  steed  a  wolf  or  a  Jew — 
than  which  he  knew  no  expression  moj'e  contemptuous  1 
The  people  all  bore  a  strong  family  likeness — Heber 
was  approaching  the  heart  of  the  Slav  country — and 
were  alike  good=humoured,  dirty,  and  sheepskin  clad. 

There  appeared  to  be  one  great  distinction  between 
the  serfs  of  the  country,  arising  out  of  the  position 


SCANDINAVIA    AM)   RUSSIA   IN     1S05. 


53 


of  their  proprictoi-.     All    tlic  crown  sciis,  and    nearly 
all  those  who  belonged  to  very  great  nobles,  were  in 


RUSSIAN    1-AHM. 

a  mnch  more 
prosperous  condition 
than  those  who  be- 
longed to  individuals  of  less 
wealth.  Nearly  the  whole  of  the  former  were  assessed 
at  a  fixetl  rate — live  rubles  per  annum  for  crown  serls 
and    ten    rubles    for   noblemen's ;    and,    owing    to    the 


In,, 


r: 


54 


REGINALD   IIKDKR. 


circunislaiiccs  of  tlicir  lord,  they  knew  that  they  were 
]-)ractically  safe  from  interference  or  alteration  of  their 
I'ents.  The  result  was  that  it  jiaid  them  to  be  indus- 
trious, and  a  large  number  of  the  seii's  were  in  really 
aiHuent  jwsitions.  Althoui^h  technically  all  serfs  were 
compelled  to  work  so  many  days  in  each  week  for  their 
proprietoi's,  as  a  matter  of  fact  it  was  to  their  mutual 
benefit  for  the  serf  to  work  on  his  own  account  and 
be  assessed  so  nuich  per  annum  for  the  privilege.  But 
the  master  j^rovided  him  with  a  cottage  and  a  small 
allotment,  the  nature  and  site  of  which,  by  the  way,  were 
decided  by  a  meeting  of  the  peasantry  under  the  pre- 
sidency of  the  Starosta,  the  elder  of  the  village.  Of 
course  domestic  serfs  and  those  employed  in  manufac- 
ture were  freed  from  such  rent,  and  were,  in  addition, 
provided  with  food  and  clothing.  On  the  other  hand, 
those  who  went  to  the  large  towns  in  order  to  make 
more  money,  and  those  generally  who  embarked  in 
trade,  were  assessed  at  a  higher  rent.  This  system 
of  pa^'ing  rent  for  leave  to  employ  one's  time  on  one's 
own  account  was  carried  to  such  an  extent  that  the 
aged  and  feeble,  when  they  preferred  to  roam  the 
country  as  beggars,  had  to  pay  rent  for  permission 
to  beg.  But  it  may  be  added  that  these  old  fellows 
could,  if  they  pleased,  remain  at  home  and  receive, 
at  the  expense  of  their  master,  a  cottage,  some  food, 
and,  perhaps,  all  needful  clothing. 

At  last  the  720  versts — or  520  miles — of  road 
between  Petersburg  and  Moscow  had  been  galloped 
over,  and  on  January  31x1  the  three  travellers — for  our 
Consul-General,  Mr.  (afterwards  Sir)  Daniel  Bayley 
had  joined  them  in  their  journey — reache.l  Moscijw. 

It  will  be  interesting  i^'  c  note,  as  briefly  as 
possible,  the  chief  features  the  city  of  Moscow  as 
observed  by  Heber.  Many  of  them  had  only  a  few 
more  years  of  existence  ;  six  short  years  later  Moscow 
was  to  he  destroyed  bv  its  own  people  ;  to  br  burnt 
over  the  heads  of  that  vast  amy,  more  numerous  than 
any  army  yet  led  in  Europe  ;  so  strangely  nn'xed  and 


SCAN1)INA\I.\    AND    RUSSIA    IN    1 80  = 


55 


niotlty  lluit  the  legions  of  Xc  xes  and  their  fate  form  a 
starthng-  parallel ;  yet  apparently  so  ]x)\verful  and  over- 
whelming that  its  atlvance  has  been  called  "  the  storm 
of  nations " — that  i^raiide  armc'c  of  Napoleon,  which 
was  to  suffer  so  fearfully  in  its  retreat  that  for  every 
man  who  returned  alive  seven  were  left  stark  and  dead 
on  Russian  soil. 

lleber,   writing   to  his  motlier  on  his   arrival,   says 
that  they  reached  "this  over-grown  village,  for  I   can 
compare  it  to  nothing  else,  in  the  nujonlight;"  but  his 
subsequent  descriptions  reveal  both  the  magnitude  and 
magnificence  of  this  ancient  city.     Grown  up  on  a  wide 
plain,  watered    by  the  river   Moskva,  Moscow  seemed 
to    him    about  the  size  pf   London  and    Westminster. 
There   were   two  cities,  *  if  one   may   say  so:    the   old 
city— parallel  to   that  of  London — called    Kitai-gorod, 
the  city  of  Katliay  ;  and  the  new  Russian    city  which 
grew  up    outside  its   walls   alter  the   Tartar  conquest, 
and  called  Biel-gorod,  the  White  City.     The  old  Tartar 
walls    still    surrounded    Kitai-gorod  ;    the    high     brick 
towers,     pagoda-shap  d,     still    stood    sentry    over    its 
ramparts.     Gateways   and   gates    were  as    Oriental  as 
those  of  any  Tartar  city  in  Asia.     In  the  treasury  of 
the  Kremlin,  the  crowns  of  Kazan,  Astrachan,  Siberia, 
and  a    dozen    other    Asiatic    kingdoms    were    securely 
housed  —  representing    a    long    series    of    conquests. 
Perluips  the  finest  view  of  the  old  city  was  to  be  had 
from  above  the  famous  Saracenic  gate  of  the  Kremlin. 
From  the  summit  of  .St.  Michael's  tower,  standing,  in  the 
middle  of  the  great  court,  you  might  behold  this  L':auti- 
ful  prospect  turned  into  a  map.      Right  and  left  ot  you 
would  be  the  churches — Christianised  mosques — in  one 
of  which   Russia  crowned   its  Czars  and   in  the  other 
buried  them.      Beyond  were  bai'racks  and  public  build- 
ings, a  group  of  convents,  and  the  archiepiscopal  palace. 
Around   rose  terrace  above  terrace  and  tower  beyond 
tower,  their  gilded  spires  forking  to  a  golden  flame  in 
the    crescents    wl  \c\\    still    crowned    them.      Fancifully 
did    Ileber    think,    as    he   walked   up    the   magnificent 


'!-u 


- 1%\- 


i^M ' 


56 


KlCClXAl.h   lIlCIiKR. 


Stan-case  (. I  tlu-  Krcniliii  and  looked  aiouiid  him,  that 
he  was  tho  h(T()  of  ail  Eastern  talc,  and  expert  to  meet 
with  the  talkiiii;-i)ird  or  the  singing-water  of  Oriental 
romance. 

It   is  interesting  to  note  tliat  he  has    left  a   cai'c  ful 


F 


Tin:    KUKMLIN. 


catalogue  of  the  chief  buildings  of  old  Moscow  The 
list  runs  thus:  The  Kremlin,  with  its  magnificent 
cluster  of  builduigs;  the  seven-spired  Church  of  St 
Basil,  whose  architect  lost  his  eyes  by  order  of  Ivan  II  • 
the  Club  of  the  Nobles ;  the  Foundling  Hospital  •  the 
nipenal  Palace  in  the  Slobodi  ;  ]-'rince  Gallit';^in's 
Hospital;    the    Theatre;    M.    Paschkof's    house-    the 


SCANniNAN  lA    AM)    lUJSSlA    I  \     1S05, 


57 


L^iivcr>it3' ;  the  Collc.i^c  ibr  Foreii;!!  i\ flairs ;  Uk; 
Admiralty;  ami  iMdizikof's  pa.t^oda-likc  churfli.  The 
streets  of  tlie  more  modern  town  were  very  wide, 
and  wound  in  line  curves,  in  contrast  to  the  iiregular 
and  naiM-ower  streets  of  the  older  j^art.  'I1iou,i;li'  for- 
bidden by  law,  many  of  the  houses,  perhaps  (jne-half, 
were  built  of  wood.  The  architecture,  of  course,  was 
very  mixed,  but  over  everything,  in  both  cities,  the 
hand  of  the  Tartar  had  not  been  content  merely  to 
pass — it  had  rested. 

One  house,  in  particular,  arrested  the  attention  of  the 
travellers.  A  fine  building-,  used  as  a  warehouse,  bore 
on  its  gateway  the  sign  of  the  lion  and  the  unicorn.  It 
had  formerly  been  the  house  of  the  English  ambassadors. 
iJut,  in  place  of  the  royal  arms,  a  Russian  inscription 
had  been  carved,  and  this  informed  the  world  that  the 
Knglish  were  regicides  and  heathens,  and  had  been 
expelled  the  Russian  Empire.  The  immediate  cause 
for  this  had  been  the  death  of  Charles  I. 

Several  of  the  churches  had  been  built  or  "  restored  " 
by    the    unfortunate   Solarius.     lie   was   an   Italian,   a 
Milanese.     After  building  St.  Basil  at  Moscow  he  was 
so    singularly   indiscreet    as    to    proclaim    that  he  had 
often  seen  finer  churches  in   Italy!      Ivan  II.  promptly 
had  his  eyes  put  out, — in  order,  we  may  presume,  to 
prevent  a  similar  experience  occurring  in  the  future. 
The  Churches  of  the  Assumption  and  St.  Michael  were 
both   his,  and   they   were    both    an    adajitation    of  the 
Cireek   orders   to   Tartar  outlines.      In   the   former  the 
Czars    were    buried ;    and    in   the   latter,    the   walls    of 
which  were  plated   with   silver,  tiie   patriarchs  of  the 
Greek   Church.     Near  by,  in  the  library  of  the  Synod 
of  that  church,  a  robe  was  shown  which  had  belonged 
to  the  patriarch  Nicon  ;  it  was  embroidered  in  pearls 
\yith  the  words  of  the  Nicene  Creed.     It  may  be  men- 
tioned in  passing  that  on  festal  days  these   patriarchs 
used  to  ride    through    Moscow    on    horses    shod  with 
silver. 

'J'his  short  description  of  Moscow  must  not  be  con- 


i-'i 


'  J 


Mil 


.J:  5 


s-s 


kk(;l\.\i,i)  iii;iii;k. 


<'lu(h  (I  \vitl)(,iit  mciiti 


\\a.s  a  national  iiistitni 


""i"",u  tiic  ^^H.^(lli^,^■  I  lospital,  wlnVIi 


l)v  a  r 


thi 


'.valty 


I"",  •^iippoi-Uil,  aiiK.iin-  otlicrw 


oiu 


imposed  ..11  cvirv  tluatrii-al  pcrf 


";"t   the   enipiiv!     Alu.'ut  six  hundivd  el 
^T  "/''""tanud  and  cdnaUcd  in  the  horn' "L 
'^   ''I'-  ''".i^vi-  number  passed  throUKli   its  hand 
course., I  a. year.     In  the  year  i 


avs. 


oriiiance 


hild 


nil 


lonie  itseIC;   hut 
in  the 


three  thou 
b\-  its  worl 


CI 


nnmech" 


M-eviuus  to  llei)er's  visit, 

orty)  had  been  benefited 

dien  were  taken  without  inquiry,  and 


';;and  children  (save  torty)  had  been  bene! 


itel>  baptised,  unless  proof  was  offered  Jf 


vious  baptism.     After  th 
sent  into  the  provinces  in 'the  d...^,-  ,.  „, 
a.Jfcoive  they  came  back   to  be-  Educate 
ot  eighteen   they  left  tl 


'lid    cloth  in 


'J'l 


pre- 

cy  were  vaccinated  they  were 

'large  of  nurses ;  at  the 

at  the  age 

»nie  money 


ic  institntit)n  with  s. 


shoemakers,  etc.,  but 


ic    boys    were    educated    as    tail 


M'ven    a    good    medical    educat 


,  l>iit  many  of  the  more  caDabl 


be 


up  as  embroid 


■ame  medical  nurses,  but 


(^  ivrs  and  the  lil 


ion. 


more  usu 


'J'l 


ors. 


le  were 


lie    girls    oi'ten 


ally  w 


■ere   brouuht 


buryr. 
M 


•Socially,  Ileber  found  M 


A 


111 


use  men  t,   he  savt- 


oscow  in  advance  of  Peters- 


'scow,   and  to   do    tht 

business    perfectly.       At 

leavinir  Enfrimui    i 


is  th 


le  great  business  of 


people  justice    they   did  that 
Moscow,    for    the    first    time 


since 

^'••cally'intu-e;;;^-"'':r;  T  ^^'^^'V^^^"^"  ^vnowere 
n,j.i    -^  ,   "'■^'^^^'"S-        At    the    soirees   g  ven     bv    the 

um  miglu  have   UU.ngvd  to  I.nncasliiie  or  CJicsliiiv 

;;.;>.^t  oddly  say.     A,„o„k  those  w      \ul  Z  ZI 
Htio,,t,'t     !■'■";'■■"","'■  •""'  '""'-''  "'""W---  i"'°r- 

Kussmn    pohtics;    C„u„t   Alexis    Pushkin      1^  'm^o 
a  UKiuary  ;  „„d  IVinco  Dasi.koff  rwl,o  had  be  n\  T  m 
"'  '-*-'--  at  EdMburgh).     Of  M.  Karan   i  /ZX 


SCANDINAMA    WD   RUSSIA    IN    1805.  59 

travels  in  luin.pf  were  tlini  very  ramous,  he  and 
Ihnrnt.Mi  saw  much,  ami  1  IcIkt 'nunticns  that  (.11 
n.'Icrniii;-  to  his  tra\oIs  the  Imperial  historionraplu'i- 
(lor  that  was  his  post  then)  shook  liis  luad  aiid'said  he 
was  very  young  when  he  wrote  them.  The  Kdinhitn^h 
Kcview  had  recently  reviewed  them  hostilelv,  antf^'a 
nval  author  (for  ,  he  had  his  rivals)  translated  the 
beotch  article-  into  Kussian,  and  "circulated  it  through 


r/H- 


-' .' 


•l-.4/',i 


■.-TT 


-w:. 


lOUNDLING    HOSPITAL    CIUOUNDS,    Mt).M  OW. 

Moscow  with  great  solicituile."  In  the  Princess  Dash- 
kof  Uiey  made  a  good  iViend  and  an  interesting  ;  she 
It  will  he  rememhered,  was  a  great  ally  of  CathLrine  iT 
i  his  courtly  old  lady's  upper  costume  usually  consisted 
ot  a  mans  great  coat  with  a  star  ariixed  to  tlie  hreast 
while  ahove  it  all  she  wore  a  night-cap.  The  military 
governor  of  Moscow  was  exceedingly  kind  to  the 
young  travellers;  and  the  head  of  the  university  ex- 
tended   such    hospitality    that    IJeber    says    '*  Oxford 


lili 


J.! 


1 ". 


6o 


KKciN  \i,i)  iii:i;i:r. 


Jts.(  n..U  n..i  have  lurn  ashamed."  Vynm  in.  hiIhts 
n  thf  bntish  Kinhassy  tln-y  had  nmrh  help  i„  the-  way 
nt  intmcucti..ns-L(,rd  Stuart  dc  Rothesay  bciim- 
particularly  incntionfd.  ** 

Althou-h  Mosruvv  society  rculd  converse;  hi  two  or 
three  lauguaKes-Ciernian,  French,  and  Italian  as  a 
rule— beside  its  own,  such  ability  did  not  prevent  its 
bein.ij  curiously  ignorant  of  ..ther  countries  fleber 
was  frequently  asked  if  the  Knglish  did  not  hang  their 
prisoners  ol  war;  he  was  even  asked  if  Knglish  women 
were  not  slaves,  and  sold  with  a  halter 'about  their 
necks  ()(  course  these  were  exceptions,  but  the 
icmark    held   good   as   a  rule.       On    the    other    hand 


foi 


iRU   ihshions  W(  i  c   much  in 


Vogue. 


,..,,.  ,  r.  — •     The  favourite 

..latcnal  lor  women's  clothes  was  silk-even  the  worn,  „ 
ot  tile  Jower  classes  wearing  silk  handkerchiefs  on  their 
^■ads.       Among    the    wealthier   classes    silk    was    tlie 
fashionable  material  for  gowns,  and  the  young  women 
wore    costumes    gorgeously  embroidered    witli    thread 
iM.niKts  and  headdresses  entirely  con^posed  of  pearls 
were    common    wear   among    them.     The    Oriental    in 
their   nature    came    out,   too,   in  an    excessive    u.e    of 
paint-even   the  dead,  when  laid  out  for  the  fan  wells 
ot     riencs   and  acquaintances,   had  their   faces   thickly 
and  brightly  painted.     Dancing  and  card-playing  formed 
a  large  part  of  the  s.jcial  festivities,  and  plav  ran  hi-h  • 
iHit  young  people  were  neither  supi.osed  lior,  indeed' 
allowed  to  play  cards.     'J-he  manners  of  society  were 
not  only  polished,    but  the  real  expression  of 'honest 
welcome  and  kindly  heans. 

After  a  brief  journey  to  the  north-east  as  far  as  Kos- 

roma,  through   at  that  time,  a  district  quite  unknown 

to  Lurope-IIebe.-  and  Thornton,  I   believe,  were  the 

irst  Lnghsh    travellers   who    had   visited   Kostroma— 

they  returned  to  Moscow  and  prepared  for  departure 

I  he  news  of   Pitfs   death  had    then   arrived,   and  the 

state  o    the  Continent  prevented  an  immediate  return 

to  Kngland.     It  was  accordingly  decided  to  travel  south 

to  1  cherkask,  the  capital  of  the  Cossack  country,  and 


SCANDINAVrA    AND   RUSSIA    IN    1S05.  r,| 

aftir  a  sojourn  ninnng  that  interesting  people  to  cio.ss 
over  to   tlie   Crimea,  from   the    Criiiu  a    to   journey   tn 
Odessa,  and  pass  theno(>  to  \'i.  una.      It  was  hop,   1  that 
Austria  would   by  that  tiuu-  have   become  more  tran- 
(juillised;   and,  at  any  rate,  at  Odessa  they  would   be 
.-il'Ir  t..  h.ar  the  latest  news.     The   French  "had  evacu- 
ated   Cermany,    and    s(.    the    travell'Ts    planned    their 
route    home    from    X'ienna    7'id    Dresden    and     Berlin 
lleber  was  particularly  anxious    to  pass  thiou.uh  that 
part  of    the  Continent    which    had    recently   been    the 
theatre  of  war  :   "  It  would  be  almost  a  crime,"  lie  wrote 
to  his  brother,   "to  lose  the  opportunity  of  obtaininir 
the  information   which  mav  be  derived   from   seeiu"-  a 
country  recovering   from   the  efVects  of  su  terrible\n 
nn'asion." 

0.1  March  13th,  then,  they  left  the  city  of  Moscow 
I'ound  tor  the  south.  But  they  looked  back  on  that 
city,  with  Its  (ifteen  hundred  spires,  witli  a  genuine 
ivgret.  The  two  months  the-.  !,ad  spent  in  it  had 
been  passed  in  ipuch  social  enjoy.. rnt  and  intcrestiu.r 
study.  ■  * 


a 


I 


f     I 


fCll 


SLEDGES    IN    III.E. 


ClIAPTKR    III. 


AMOSC.    'II li:    COSSACKS. 


'"T^RA\'ELLIN(i  in  a  liL;lit  vehicle,  to  all  intents  and 
X  purposes  an  ordinary  carriage,  thougli  mounted 
on  a  sledge,  they  made  rapid  progress  on  their  southern 
journey.  Comfortable,  too,  they  found  it,  and  so 
arranged  that  they  could  lie  down  at  full  length  and 
make  theii-  beds  in  it — no  small  virtue  when  travelling 
in  a  coi:ntry  where'  beds  were  few  and  far  between.  A 
fortnight  later  they  arrived  at  Kharkov,  after  passing 
for  about  nine  huntU'ed  miles  through  a  stretch  of  desolate 
country,  in  the  early  part  of  the  journey  the  snow  had 
been  very  deep,  and  in  the  later  they  had  crossed  wide 
distiMcts  of  muddy  morass  and  flooded  country  ;  both 
impeded  pmgi'ess.  But,  perhaps,  this  loss  of  time  was 
gain  to  knowledge,  as  a  closer  acciuaintance  could  be 
formed  with  the  character  and  habits  of  the  people.  The 
largeness  of  the  towns  and  the  number  of  churches  seem 
to  have  been  the  most  notewoithy  surprise. 

Ileber  has  left  us  a  fairly  good  picture  of  the  ordinary 
country  house  of  the  Russian  landlord  at  this  period. 
Of  rural  magnificence  there  were  no  traces,  and  the 
Russian  counterpart  of  our  country  squire  seldom  pos- 
sessed a  house  which  would  approach  in  si.?e,  not  to 
speak  of  comfort,  those  to  be  found  in  their  hundreds 
in  any  English  count}'.     Small  in  extent,  low  in  height, 

62 


AMONCi    Till:    COSSACKS. 


63 


and  built  of  Avood,  these  houses  were  more  h-ke  the 
bungalows  of  a  warmer  cHmc.  Few  had  more  th"n 
one  story,  and  four  or  iWe  decent  rooms.  These  rooms 
.>pc.Kxl  into  each  other  in  almost  invariable  orde  :  t  e 
i-  St  bemjr  the  dnung-roon.     The  bedroom  of  laird  and 

l.i>     the    kitchen    and    "some    dirty    holes    where    the 
servants  and  the  other  members  of  the  familv  sleep  " 
1  here  were  no  guest-chambers,  visitors  being  provided 
llebe  't  II  "'""  .;'y  "'^  ""'  ''''  """•••      ''  A  llussia  ,' 
I  c  las  c  nl>  a  .uigle  coverlet,  and  seldom   takes  off  any 
clothes  but  h,s  shoes  and  coat.     The  women  sleep    n 
n.ghtoowns    ...,  what  we  should  call  drcssing-gow   s  " 
an  Lnghsh  lady  at  Moscow  was  taxed  with   great  in^ 
decency  because  she  undressed  at  night.     Tliey  generill v 
.-.se  early  and  are  dressed  in  a  fevv^ninutes  ,•  a      r  'nt 
pours  a   httle  water  on   their  hands,   they  wash   t 
own    faces,    and    their    toilet  is    soon    finished.     Tlev 
sometimes  take  a  single  cup  of  tea,  but  never  auN-thinn- 
more  belore  noon;  an   English  breakfast  i.s,  1    believ 
^-nknown    on    the    Continent.      At    Moscow    we    werJ 
scmremjes  invited  to  breakfhst  a  PAn^lais;  but  always 
found  that  they  imagined  an  English  breakfast  was  a 
meal  on  beefsteaks  and  champagn?  " 

One  or  two  incidents  of  the  jSurney  soutii  will  show 

te    than  any  contmuousdiaiy,  the  sort  of  experience 

vhich    Heber    and    his    Iriend    encountered.       At    one 

place,  for  example,  they  were  blocked  lor  six  ho  ,r     u 

a  snowdrift;  in  another  the  hor.ses  gave  out,  a    .  tl  e 

ir^e^H  ev"'-'  rV"  r"^'^'--the  Englishn^en 
liad^  cMl  eyes.  A  few  days  later  the  travellin.- 
carnage  was  bogged,  and  a  dozen  horses  had  gradu-    v 

o  be  borrowed  from  passing  sankies  be  orc-^  t  co 
be  extricated.  Pmt  as  they  made  "  southing  '' tl  e  sn 
beg.n    o  disappear,  and   although   there  A^^re  swo  U 

xei.    to   cross   and    muddy    tracks   to    toil    painful! 

rough,  no   mishap   beyond   those  to  be  expec  cd     n 
any  journey  in  a  wild  country  was  encountered 


I  ■ 


I.  it". 


"  1    li^l 
1.          a^H 

4 

64 


RKc.iNALi)  iii;r,i;R. 


At  Tula,  a  small  sort  of  Russian  Birmingham,  they 
had  nottd  that  at  tlic  arm-factorits  it  was  quite  a 
Odinmon  trick  to  put  the  word  "  London  "  on  the  guns; 
so  clumsily,  however,  was  the  fraud  perpetrated  that 
this  persuasive  "  certificate  of  origin  "  was  frequently 
engraved  in  Russian  characters!  Reaching  Kursk  they 
soon  afterwards  arrived  at  Kharkov. 

'J'his  city  is  the  capital  of  the  Sloboda  Ukraine.  Of 
I'kiaini's  tlure  wc  iv  two — that  on  the  west,  in  the 
hasin  of  tiie  Dnieper,  being  the  Polish  Ukraine;  and 
that  on  the  east,  in  tlie  basin  of  the  Don,  being  the 
Sloboda  L'kraine.  The  people  of  the  Polish  Ukraine 
had  had  for  three  centuries  a  series  of  conflicts  with 
Russia,  now  being  subdued  into  submission  and  now 
breaking  out  into  rebellion  again  under  some  patriotic 
hetman.  The  last  great  insurrection  hpd  been  led  by 
Mazcpi:;a  ;  but  it  \vas  doomed  to  failure.  Nevertheless 
the  people  of  the  western  Akraine  maintained  an  inde- 
pendence in  their  dress  and  maimers — of  Polish-Tartar 
origin — and  wh(  n  Ileber  visited  them  could  not  sav 
a  good  word  for  the  Russians.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Sloboda  Ukraine,  on  the  east 
(Ukraine,  by  the  way,  has  much  the  same  meaning  as 
our  "  Border"),  were  in  origin  Cossack,  and  though  all 
their  independence  liad  been  taken  from  them,  they 
clung  to  their  own  language  and  dress.  Their  dislrie-^t 
is  more  commonly  called  "  Little  Russia."  On  the 
whole  the  people  seemed  to  lead  a  fairly  easy  life — 
the  greatest  want  in  the  country  being  the  scarcity  of 
wood.  Large  herds  of  cattle  were  everywhere  seen, 
but  milk  was  at  a  premium,  and  rarely  obtainable, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  it  was  seldom  drunk,  and  no 
butter  or  cheese  ever  made.  "  The  little  milk  we  could 
get,"  says  Ileber,  "was  always  considered  as  so  much 
stolen   from  the  calf," 

On  March  29th  they  reached  Baemuth,  the  old 
frontier  of  Malo  or  Little  Russia,  of  tlie  khanate 
ot  the  Crimea,  and  the  first  town  in  what  was  now 
called  New    Russia.       It  marks  the  threshold   of  the 


AMONG  THE   COSSACKS. 


65 


steppes.     7  he  country  thence  to  Taganrog  was  a  wide 
treeless   p  am,  the  soil  of  chalky  clay,   with  here  and 
there  a  village   or  a  town,  chiefly  noteworthy   for  the 
groups  of  willows  planted  about  them.     Portions  of  this 
steppe  were  ploughed,  and  the  people  actually  produced 
more    corn   than    they   consumed.     Scattered  over  the 
steppe   were    many   tumuli,   usually   surmounted   with 
some  figure  rudely  carved  of  limestone.     Dirty  were 
the  houses,  wretched  seemed  the  people  ;  yet  labour  com- 
manded a  good  price,  and   the  serfs  had  easier  times 
than  those  of  Great  Russia.     No  doubt  the  damp  soil 
bnngmg  with  it  malarial  fevers,  exercised  a  permanent 
Hifluence  on  the  physique   of  the   people.     The    post- 
houses  were  miserable  affairs_lean-to  huts  jammed  in 
a  hole  in  some  bank  or  slope.    Occasionally  a  hill  arose 
trom    the    plain,    but  league  upon  league  the    country 
was  a  dead  level,  and  if  not  actually  a  marsh,  at  least 
deep  with   mire.     The   most   cheerful   sight  were  the 
sushks     the   marmots  of  the  steppes,  who  scampered 
about  ike  rabbits,  uttering  their  shrill  whistles  at  every 
turn.    With  the  fecundity  of  rabbits,  these  little  creatures 
were  the  plague  of  the  country  :  they  burrowed  and  bred 
with  such  persistence  that  large  parts  of  the  steppe  were 
like  a  rabbit-warren.      High  overhead  floated  eagles 
with   glittering  eyes    fixed    on    the  little    sushks ;  and 
large  flocks  of  the  grea.  buzzard  were  similarly  occu- 
pied     Occasionally,  too,   the  peasant,  whose  corn  was 
rapidly  devoured  as  it  sprang  above  ground,  would  come 
and  pour  water  down  the  burrows,  and  so  the  lively 
httle  sushks  did  not  have  things  all  their  own  way-- 
especially  in  summer,  when  the  steppe  became  less  miry 
and  troops  of  Calmuks  wandered  about,  pitching  their 
tents  hither  and  thither,  and  making  deep  cauldrons  of 
suslik  soup.     As  the  steppe  nears  Taganrog,  a  northern 
slope  has  to  be  ascended,  and  then,  as  you  travel  alon<T 
the   grassy   ridge,    it    suddenly  terminates   in  a   steep 
cliff,  and  there,  at  your  feet,  lie.s  the  city,  and,  beyond, 
-Hf  .^ca  oi  Azov. 

The    "Cape   of    the    Tea-kettle  "—a    name    which 


I  >.i, 


rUl 


66 


REGINALD   IIKl'.ER. 


f 


Taganrog  owes  to  the  shape  of  the  bluft'  on  which  its 
fortress  is  built,  is  neither  high  nor  particularly  grand 
in  character ;  but  it  has  a  simple  dignified  outline,  of 
good  proportions,  and  is  consetpiently  i^iposing  in 
appearance.  But  the  town  in  Ileber's  time  was  the 
exact  reverse.  The  buildings  were  not  only  humble 
but  dirty  ;  the  people,  though  in  easy  circumstances, 
were  dirty  too ;  there  was  practically  no  cultivated 
society,  the  chief  portion  of  the  trade  being  in  the 
hands  of  European  "supercargoes,"  whose  private 
character  would  hardly  have  borne  even  a  cursory 
examination.  Of  the  people,  the  greater  part  were 
Greeks  of  low  position,  very  ignorant  and  very  un- 
progressive  ;  but  there  were  Russian  peasants  in  fair 
number — no  Russian  persons  of  the  upper  class — Cos- 
sacks in  profusion,  some  Armenians,  and  not  a  few 
Jews.  All  things  were  dear  at  'J^aganrog  with  but  two 
exceptions — corn  and  fish  ;  the  one  being  grown  in 
great  quantity  in  the  district,  and  the  other  being  found 
in  enormous  quantities  on  the  spot. 

Here,  in  fact,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Don,  the  natural 
provision  of  fish  tended  to  become  a  plague.  The 
sturgeon  was  common,  and  the  enormous  "  white  fish  " 
— running  to  fourteen  or  fifteen  feet  in  length — formed 
the  staple  food  of  the  people.  Although  a  large  trade 
was  carried  on  in  fish,  the  refuse  that  accumulated  was 
so  grea'  that  both  here  and  at  many  other  ))laces  along 
the  eastern  shores  of  the  Sea  of  Azov  vast  stacks  of 
putrid  fish,  piled  up  for  puiposes  of  manure,  were  as 
numerous  as,  and,  at  times,  even  more  numerous  than, 
the  houses.  And  the  atmosphere  of  this  locality  con- 
veyed its  dominant  odour,  not  only  from  the  heaps  of 
fish  rejected  of  the  salters,  but  also  from  the  millions  of 
the  fint-  and  chosen,  which  lay  drying  along  the  banks 
of  the  Don,  or  the  shore  of  the  sea,  carpeting  them  as 
closely  almost  as  grass.  Above  them,  on  the  sheltered 
side  of  the  downs,  were  the  vineyards  :  is  it  so  sur- 
prising^ that  the  wine  of  Taganrog  was  so  bad  as  to  be 
nauseous?     Yet  on  their   fishing  trade,  and   on  their 


AMONG   TITE  COSSACKS. 


67 


export  of  corn,  the  people  kept  themselves  in  com- 
parative  ease-vve  prefer  the  word  to  comfort.  The 
chnuite  dicl  not  prevent  their  industry,  and  impoverish 
hem-as  it  so  o  ten  does-during  a  certain  season  of 
the  3 car.  For,  by  a  strange  reversal  of  man's  ex- 
penence  m  other  regions,  a  mild  winter  at  Taganro- 
meant  poverty  to  the  people.     For  unless  the  Sea  ol" 

^f  the  nTon"''^°- "■'/'"'  ^.•^'""^^'  ^'^^'  "^'-^^^  --M^'-^tion 
of  the  people,  sustamcd  an  interruption.     But  directly 

he  sea  froxc  over,  then  the  people  came  out  of  their 
K'uses,    iK.r  huts    and  their  tents,  and,  making  large 
oles  in  the  ice  at  frequent  intervals,  slipped  the^nd  of 
t  u;  net  ui  hrst,  and,   by  the  help  of  a  pole  and  much 
objurgation,  passed  the  huge  net  along  under  the  ice 
a.K     hus  made  a  wide  cast.     The  ice  formed  standing! 
g.ound    for  any  number   of  fishermen,    and    the    cold 
season  passed  happily  enough.     With  less  cold    how- 
ever    there    would    be    insufficient    ice    for    this'  artful 
ope,  ation,  and  yet  too  much  for  the  safo  use  of  l)oats 

wo  1    '   r'n  7  T  '•"'-^'  ''^''P"^  '"  determine  ihe 

woik    of  the  people,  but  it  also    imposed  the  strictest 
inuts  on  the  periods  when  such  work  mi<dit  be  doni» 

It  would   be  dif^cult  to  find  a  more  stSg  tr^p^ 
of    the  hmitations  which    nature    puts    on    nTan.      Fo? 

laganrog,  at  this  time,  was  a  busy,  bustling  port  for 
some  SIX  months  in  the  year.    After  Ihe  ice  broke  up 
Maich-and  navigation  was  declared  safo  by  the  send 

horn  kertch  o  Jaganrog-a  strong  south-west  wind 
set  m  with  the  month  of  April.  This  amassed  tie 
wa  er  ,n  the  eastern  end  of  the  Sea  of  Azov,  and  by 
midsummer  made  it  possible  for  ships  to  lie  quite  near 
to  the  shore  which,  before  this,  and  afUr,  were  obliged 

then"";:'/off  T  ''"  ""^^  '""^^-     '^'  "-'-nnfer, 
then,  the  sea  off  i  aganrog  would  be  crowded  with  a 

fleet  of  vesseLs  of  all    sizes-sometimes  as    many  as 

SIX  or   seven   hundred  would  be  at  anchor.     But  the 

high  water  of  midsummer  soon  began  to  decrease   and 

m  autumn  the  deepest  part  of  the  whole  sea  s  a'r     y 


"^1 


P' 


•  ; 


68 


REGINALD   IIE15ER. 


exccede.'d  some  fourteen  feet,  while  the  bay  between 
Taganrog  a?,i'  Azov  itself  formed  one  continuous  shoal 
hardly  seven  feet  in  depth.  So  rapidly  did  this  shrink- 
age proceed,  that  many  ships  had  not  time  to  complete 
loading,  and  would  often  sail  away  with  but  half  a 
cargo.  When  Heber  was  at  Taganrog,  Greeks,  Italians, 
Austria!;-^.  R,-xgusans,  and  some  French  were  the  chief 
traders,  r  ad  of  these  about  a  third  of  the  Greeks  sailed 
under  the  Russian  flag,  while  the  French  were  actually 
using  the  English  flag  to  cover  their  nationality  1 

In  the  later  stages  of  his  journey  to  Taganrog^  but 
more  particularly  in  the  journey  thence  to  Tcherkask, 
and  from  that  place  along  the  eastern  shores  of  the 
Sea  of  Azov,  Meber  saw  a  good  deal  of  the  Cossacks 
and  their  mode  of  living ;  and  as  they  had  only 
recently  been  brought  under  the  rule  of  the  Cznr,  he 
has  noted  certain  characteristics  whicii  by  this  time 
have  passed  away.  His  sojourn  among  the  Cossacks 
— though  prolonged  neither  in  t""me  nor  •  xtcnded  over 
their  Asiatic  territories — is  of  considerable  interest  to 
tiie  student  of  human  nature,  and  the  gist  of  his  record 
of  that  sojou.  n  muv  well  be  preserved. 

The  Don  Cofcsa-'ks — as  those  who  inhabited  the 
low(  r  basin  of  ti.o  Doi\  are  still  called — lived  in  villages 
which  either  str^f  tc;>j  along  the  banks  of  the  river  itself 
or  creep  close  clown  to  one  of  the  many  swamps  and 
marshes  which  characterise  th"  country  through  v.  hich 
the  Lower  Don  winds.  As  regularly  as  spring  Ciuiie 
round  so  did  this  low-lying  country  become  annually 
flooded.  Swamp  united  to  swamp,  and  morass  trickled 
into  morass.  The  very  villages  were  invaded  by  the 
shallow  flood — hence  their  being  so  oiten  raised  on 
piles  above  the  ground.  As  spring  advanced  and  the 
waters  subsided,  the  whole  country  appeared  like  the 
bed  of  a  mere  but  recently  drained.  The  mud  was 
still  moist,  and  the  greenness  of  the  reeds  and  spongy 
masses  of  vegetation  heightened  the  effect.  Then  the 
rays  uf  the  sun,  as  the  earth  canted  more  and  more 
to   him,  grew   hotter  and   hotter,  and  drew  out    from 


»  « 

)?  M 

!h,  pi 

Q  w 

5-  o 


but 


the 


m 


70 


REGINALD  iii:i;i;k. 


this  marsliy  plain  the  vapouis  that  hrou^ht  agues 
and  fivers  as  tiuir  unwelcome  gift.  Annually,  in  eon- 
sequence,  tlieie  was  a  sick  season  among  the  Cossacks. 

lUit  it  must  not  he  forgotten  that  man,  like  all  other 
creatures,  managis  to  adapt  himself  to  his  surroundings 
in  a  way  which  would  l)e  remarkahle  were  it  not 
natural.  Here  was  a  treeless  district — a  region  where 
wood  was  almost  as  rare  as  silver.  So  although  the 
Cossack  built  him  houses  of  wood  he  ustd  that  wood 
but  sparingly,  and  was  lavish  with  mud  antl  j-eeds, 
and  not  inadetpiate  were  they  for  his  simple  wants  ; 
and  of  reeds  he  made  fuel  for  warmth  and  cot)king. 
Sometimes,  indeed,  a  house  would  be  altogether  made 
of  reeds,  sticks  being  only  used  to  make  a  roof.  They 
would  be  fastened  at  the  top  of  the  reed  u  all,  and  then 
bent  towaid  a  birch  hoop  in  the  centre.  This  hoop, 
in  fine  weather,  served  as  chimney  and  ventilator,  but 
in  wet  or  cold  weather  a  hood  of  felt  was  drawn  over. 
A  mat  of  felt  was  also  hung  over  the  opening,  and 
served  as  a  door.  On  piles  he  reared  his  houses,  so 
as  to  be  above  the  silent  visitor  of  the  spring,  and 
from  house  to  house  he  spanned  a  light  gangway. 
Have  we  not  over  and  ov(.r  again  seen  pictures  of 
houses  almost,  if  not  absolutely,  identical  with  these, 
but  ascribed,  in  one  case,  to  the  ancient  Lake  Dwellers 
of  Europe,  and  in  the  other  to  those  Malayan  tribes 
of  our  own  time  who  are  in  about  the  same  state  of 
civilisation  as  the  Lake  Dwellers  once  weie  ?  Hcbcr 
said  rightly  that  "  no  one  but  a  race  of  fishermen  or 
pirates  would  have  chosen  so  unwholesome  a  spot." 
Precisely :  and  both  the  Cossacks  and  the  Dyaks  were 
fishermen  and  pirates.  To  the  latter  class,  however,  the 
Cossacks  have  ceased  to  belong. 

The  dress  of  the  Don  Cossacks  was  modelled  on 
that  of  ancient  Muscovy.  The  long  coats  were  of 
various  colours,  but  on  gala  occasions  blue  and  scarlet 
were  the  favourite.  Emblazoned  with  silvei-  lace,  and 
spangled  with  a  profusion  of  silver  ornaments,  the  men 
made  a  brave  show  on  occasion.     And  not  behind  in 


AMONG  THE  COSSACKS. 


71 


this,  if  b(,hiiul  at  all,  were  the  Cossack  women.  The 
outdoor  costume  of  a  well-ch-essed  woman  would  he 
a  richly-coloured  silk  tunic,  girt  in  by  a  belt  of  solid 
silver;  loose  silk  trousers,  and  boots  of  yellow  leather. 
On  the  head  they  would  wear  a  beautiful  silk  hand- 
kerchief of  Indian  or  Persian  workmanship,  and  both 
on  this  and  on  their  tunics  it  was  usual  to  hang  or 
embroider  strings  of  pearls.  At  a  festive  indoor 
gathering  the  trousers  were  of  some  light  colour- 
yellow  or  pink,  or  pink  and  silver  ;  a  long  open  gown 
was  put  on  over  this,  perhaps  of  the  palest  green  ; 
and  the  silver  girdle  might  be  hidden  by  the  mass  of 
ixarls  .set  upon  it.  'J'he  plaited  hair  hung  down  the 
back,  and  the  Indian  silk  handkerchief  appeared  as  a 
simple  snood.  Iland.some,  though  of  Tartan  type,  and 
tall— taller  than  the  Russians— the  Cossacks  of  the 
Don  country  were  fully  able  to  show  their  striking 
dress  to  advantage. 

Chiefly  pastoral  in  their  habits,  the  wealthier  mem- 
bers of  the  race  used  to  cultivate  vineyards  of  .some 
size,  and  thought  and  drank  more  of  the  wine  they 
produced  than  the  wine  deseived  or  was  good  for 
them.  Of  spirits  they  were  very  fond,  and  one  of  their 
chiefs,  I  leber  tells  us,  actually  drank  brandy  and  salt— 
a  jaded  palate  indeed  ! 

Briefly,  there  were  at  this  time  five  distinct  hordes 
-if  one  may  say  so— of  Cossacks.  There  were  the 
Cossacks  of  the  Dneiper;  the  Den  Cossacks;  a  third 
group  in  Poland  which,  of  an  ancient  Nogay  race  and 
professing  Mohanunedanism,  still  retained  the  Tartar 
habit  of  eating  raw  flesh;  then,  in  Siberia  the  Cossacks 
of  the  lira);  and  the  Zaperogians— the  Cossacks  of 
the  Kuban.  Although  Meber  was  told  that  they  got 
the  name  "  Cossack  "  from  the  scythe-like  shape  of 
their  swords  ("  coss  "  =  any  crooked  weapon),  it  is  much 
more  probable  that  the  name,  which  should  perhaps 
be  written  "  Kazak,"  means  n  "  lobber."  This  came  to 
have  in  time  a  meaning  not  unlike  the  Scotch  '•  land- 
louper ;  "  and  it  might  be  fairly  applied  to  the  whole  race. 


I   fi 


72 


UKC.INAI.I)    IIKI'.EU. 


And  mixed,  indeed,  that  race  was.  Russians  of 
Cii'eat  Russia,  Russians  of  Malo-Kussia,  Tartars,  I'oles, 
Circassians,  'J'uiks — all  had  a  hand  in  the  making  or 
the  blending  of  this  adventurous  people.  Edward 
Clarke,  before  Ileber,  remarked  the  great  mi.\tur«  not 
only  of  the  true  Cossacks,  but  also  of  the  general 
population  of  this  modern  Scythia.  Ikit  whether  you 
arc  impressed  by  the  appearance  of  the  Armenian 
or  the  Grec  k,  there  are  onlv  three  types  which  really 
dominate  tin  crowds  '.idi  ,-,.aiii:  together  in  the  streets 
of  Tcherkask  or  Taganrc/',  These  three  types  arc 
Cossack,  Kalmuk,  and  Nogay.  The  Cossack  is  not  un- 
like an  Kuropeai'.  darker  in  skin  than  the  Teuton,  but 
more  florid  than  the  Latin  races  ;  brown  of  >  ye,  small 
and  somewhat  li[i-tilted  of  nose,  black  (but  sometimes 
auburn)  of  hair,  which  is  curly.  '^V.  '^  ,i>  Je  are  they, 
and  active,  strong,  and  tireless.  Magnificent  horsemen, 
skilful  boatmen,  and  zealous  fisherme!i,  thc}^  have  lived, 
as  far  bark  as  we  can  trace  them,  in  tlieir  reed*  d  huts. 
On  the  jther  hand,  the  Kalniuks  are  a  wandering 
people  dwelling  in  tents,  not  a  little  remarkable.  These 
nomri<ls  are  copper-coloured,  with  now  and  again  a 
faint  ;;low  of  health  on  the  cheeks.  The  nose  is  broad 
and  the  point  depressed ;  the  long,  narrow  eyes  pre- 
serve that  angle  to  the  nose  which  characterises  the 
Mongols;  the  hair  is  lank  and  coarse.  Splendid  riders, 
they  show  to  much  less  advantage  on  foot  than  the 
Cossacks.  When  they  break  camp,  they  fold  their 
tents  up  and  pack  them  on  horseback  ov  camelback, 
having  no  wheeled  vehicles.  In  this  they  differ  fiom 
the  Nogays,  who  actually  live  and  sleep  in  tents 
mounted  on  a  wooden  platform  and  wheels^  and  drawn 
by  buffaU^,  horse,  or  camel.  The  Nogays  ha  long 
since  fallen  from  their  proud  estate  of  being  the  most 
important  race  of  the  wild  southei'  countiy  between 
the  Danube  and  ti.'  Casp'in,  but  ley  still  retain  an 
individuality,  and  cuii  be  readily  distinguished  in  a 
crowd  of  Kalmuks  or  Cossacks  by  their  broad  faces, 
small  eyes,  high-bridg -d  noses,  and    nrly  beards. 


1 


AMON(;   Till':   COSSACKS. 


73 


The  country  of  the  Don  Cossacks— and  this  may  he 
said  to  apply  roughly  to  that  of  the  other  tribes  -was 
tlivided  U[)  into  a/a/iiLas,  oc,  we  ma^'  ^ay,  ((nitons.     In 
a  stanit/.a  there  are  now  many  villaj;       where  formerly, 
perhaps,  there  was  but  one.     To  t.,  u   stanitza   there 
were  allotted  by  the  Russian  Govi  rniient  certain  lands 
and  fisheries,  and  an  allowance  of  corn  according  to  the 
population.     Over  each  stanitza  the  hetnian  (German, 
hauptmann  ?),  or  attaman,  as  the  Russians  say,  presided  ; 
ami  he,  with  the  assistance  of  a  sort  of  popularly-elected 
county  council,  allott<(l  the  lands  and  lisheries  to  the 
individual  members  of  the  community.     Over  the  atta- 
mans  was  the  Chancery  of  the  Order,  situated  at  the 
capital,  Tcherkask  ;  but  interference  seldom  took  place. 
The    attaman  was  the   chief  military  as   well  as  civil 
authority;  for  he  led  his  Cossacks  to^ battle  as  naturally 
and   unquestioned  as   he  had  divided   up   th(  ir  lands. 
He  was  regarded  as  almost  of  kingly  rank  ;  when  he 
wrot(    to  the  Czar  of  Russia  he  wrote  as  to  an  ( qual. 
All  this,  of  course,  is  now  a  thing  of  the  past. 

In  return  for  lands,  fisheries,  and  the  corn  allowance, 
the  Cossack  was  liable  to  gi\.  three  years'  military 
service  in  any  part  of  the  world  ;  during  which  time  he 
provided  hims<  If  with  his  horse,  arms,  and  clothing, 
while  th(  Government  gave  food  and  pay.  At  the  end 
of  the  three  years  he  was  required  to  assist  to  keep 
the  cordon,  then  rigorously  maintained  along  the  Cau- 
casus frontier,  and  generally  fulfil  the  duties  of  police. 
A'tcr  twenty  \ ears' service  this  was  reduced  to  simple 
police  work  at  home,  and  five  years  later  the  Cossack 
had  eained  total  immunity  from  service.  The  return 
he  he.  :  to  make  for  his  privilcgis— among  which  was  to 
be  counted  •  edoni  from  taxation— was  considered  as 
comparative  Hght,  and,  contrasted  with  the  l(tt  of  the 
Russian  serf,  his  s  enviable  indeed.  The  Cossacks, 
in  fact,  looked  down  upon  the  Russians;  and  when 
H.'ber  and  Tliornton  first  entered  Tcherkask,  they 
were  greeted  by  Cossack  children  as  "Moscofslv 
canaille  "  1     ("  Canaille,"  be  ;.  n-  -ted,  had  become  na; 


I  ■ 


^^m  * 


m. 


74 


Ki;(;iN.\r,n  iikp.kr. 


i"alis(i!  in  Kussia.)  Sd  IV(  t-  a  litr  was  litl  by  these 
piasant  (.avalry  that  **  as  Ave  as  a  Cossack  "  was  a 
coinmoii   Kussian  saying;. 

The  iiiajoiity  of  the  Cossacks  were,  ami  still  air,  of 
the  Greek  rtli^ioii.  'Iluy  h(l()iij;e(l  to  the  stiaitest 
sect  of  that  I'aitii  — a  survival  of  the  givat  r<foniiatioii 
inlroclucfti  l)y  Nicon  the  I'atiiairh  in  th*  ic  ign  of 
Alexis.  It  was  Nicon  wlio  hrouj^iit  hoiii  tlie  famous 
monastery  on  Mount  Atlios  the  jnuvst  (Irick  versions 
of  llie  Scriptures  oi>tainable,  anti  not  only  had  them 
tianslateti  into  Russian,  bui  caused  tluiu  to  be  used 
instead  of  the  old  service-books,  which  had  been  hope- 
lessly mutilated  by  a  '  mg  course  of  ijj^norant  copyinjj;. 
Hut  mixed  with  the  tinets  of  the  Cireek  Church,  the 
Cossacks  ritained  many  tiaces  of  'I'artar  paganism. 
Easter,  however,  they  celebrateil  with  all  the  fervour 
of  true  Russians,  and  Ileber  has  left  us  a  long  account 
of  their  cei  monies,  a  passage  from  which  will  serve  to 
show  its  interest. 

On  iCaster  Eve  "all  the  churches  were  illuminated, 
and  all  were  crowded,  particularly  the  Cathedral  ;  the 
congregations  were  dressed  in  their  best  clothes,  and 
held  lighted  tapers  in  their  hands.  The  elTect  produced 
was  very  solenni  and  n  agnificent.  The  priests  and 
choir  alternately  continued  singing  j)laintivc,  solemn 
hymns  ;  we  observed  that  the  same  hymns  occurred 
repeatedl}'.  The  priests  stood  in  ranks  on  each  side 
the  steps  of  the  altar,  all  in  their  most  magnificent 
liabits ;  and  the  choir  was  placed  in  a  very  high  gallery 
at  the  west  end.  The  congregations  were  attentive, 
and  showed  wonderful  patience.  Many,  I  think,  re- 
mained there  the  whole  night,  without  any  ivst  or 
change  of  altitude,  except  from  standing  to  prostration. 
The  priests  made  several  processions  round  the  church, 
carrying  the  great  cross,  the  Bible,  etc.,  and  occasionally 
incensed  the  people,  and  received  their  offerings  in  a 
silver  plate.  1  did  not  observe  that  any  large  sums 
were  given,  and  we  understood  that  their  principal 
harvest    at    this    season    was    made    by   going   from 


AMONr;  tiik  ('OSSACKS. 


75 


hoiisL-   to  house,   wluii  the    people  gave   very  boiuiti- 
fiilly. 

"At  the  iiioimnt  of  das  !>ieal<   a   cannon   was   lired, 
at  which  signal  all  the  hells  in  tin-  town  rang  and  the 
choir   burst   into  a  loud    hymn,   'Chrlstos   voskn  ss ! ' 
(Christ  is  risen.)     'i'o  which  the  chorus  of  priests  Ix  low 
answered,    '  Ves,    lie    is    indeed    risen!'       They   then 
embraced  each  other,  anti   kissed  a  cross,  which  they 
presented   first    to    the  attanian   and    then    to  such   of 
the  cf)ngregatioii  as  were  fortunate  enough  to  get  near 
ii.     After  this  the  service  began   for  ICaster  Day  :  the 
sacrament  was  administered,  and  a  sermon  preached. 
The    old   attaman,  who    had   come   into    the    town   on 
purpo.se,  ami  had  remained  in  church  with  his  officers 
the  whole  of  the  night,  stood  in  the  aisle  like  all  the 
rest,  but  distinguished  by  his  red  riband  and  the  badge 
of    his   authority,    a    long    ebony    .staff  with   a    round 
silver  head,  something  like  a  melon.     After  the  sermon 
the  priests  distributed  small  cakes  of  consecrated  bread  ; 
and  the  people  i)resented  eggs  to  each   other,  accom- 
panied   by   the  address,    'Christ   is  risen,'  which   was 
always  answered  I)y  an  embrace  and  the  answer,  *  Yes, 
He    is    indeed.'     This   is    the  only   salutation   allowed 
during  the  weeks  immediately  succeeding  Easter,  and 
all  are  in  this  respect  on  an  equality.     'J'he  Empress 
her.scif  durst    not    i-efuse    the    kiss   of  a    slave,  when 
accompanied    with   a   hard  egg  and    this    exclamation. 
The   eggs   are  generally   prepared    some    days    before, 
and  are  curiously  painted  and  gilt.     To  foreigners  the 
Russians  in  the  southern  part  of  the  empire  say  always 
Xpiarnf  avecTTTj  (Christ  is  risen) — as  the  Greeks  are  the 
foreigners  of  whom   they   .sec  the   most.     The  rest  of 
th«'  day  was  spent   in  amusement  and  feasting.     We 
all  went   to  the  attaman's  house,  where  we  found  an 
immense  Easter  cake,  a  cold  ham,  and   several   other 
good  things,  with  plenty  of  brandy  and  Donskoy  wine 
on  a  large  table ;  this  was  about  nine  in  the  riiurning. 
The  church  choristers  attended  and  sang  the   Easter 
hymn ;  till  this  was  finished,  and  grace  had  been  said 


;6  REGINALD   IIKI'.KK. 

by  the  bishop,  nobody  touched  the  victuals.    Afterwards 
they  fell  to  with  a  famous  appetite,  as  might  be  expected 
in  men  who  had  not  tasted  meat  for  forty  days.     The 
liand  were  in  a  very  handsome  scarlet  uniform.    Several 
officers,  from  seven  or  eight  regiments  which  happened 
to  be  on  their  return  that  day  from   Poland,  came  in 
with    the    rest    of  the    guests,    and   among    them   was 
Platofs    son.       His    father    received    him    with    great 
dignity,  not  as  a  father,  but  as  a  commander-i)^-chief, 
tilT,  after  a  few  minutes'  conversation,  he  called  nim  to 
an  inner  room,  where,  the  door  remaining  half  open, 
1  saw^  him  embrace  him  with  great  tenderness.     About 
noon   the  attaman   returned    to   his  house  in   a  hand- 
some ten-oared  barge.       These  barges  are  the  principal 
articles  of  luxury   in  which    Cossack    chiefs    indulge; 
their    rowers    are    all    splendidly    dressed,    and    their 
prows   profusely   carved  and  gilded.   .  .  .  We  walked 
about  almost  the  whole  evening,  but,  notwithstanding 
all  the  stories  we  had  heard  of  Cossack  brutality,  we 
saw   nothing  of  the  kind.  .  .   .  All   the  stories  of  the 
impossibility  of  travelling  in  Russia  during  a  feast  time 
are  greatly  exaggerated,  and  are  probably  chiefly  drawn 
from    the    excessive  profligacy  of  a  Petersburg    mob._ 
I  do  not  think  that  the  people  in  the    other   parts  of 
Russia  are  more  given  to  intoxication  than  the  English." 
And,  writing  to  his  brother,  he  says  that  during  the 
Easter  festivities  "  there  was  certainly  far  less  drunken- 
ness and  rioting  than  on  an  English  holiday." 

Of  these  modern  Scythians  many  familiar  tales  are 
told.  Room  for  such  tales  we  have  not,  but  it  will  be 
expected,  perhaps,  that  any  account  of  the  Cossacks, 
however  short,  should  include  a  word  or  two  about  that 
famous  drink,  koumiss.  The  Erenchman  Rubruquis 
has  told  us  that  it  is  *•  sharp  on  the  tongue,  like 
raspbeiry  wine,"  i)ut  other  opinions  have  been  published 
which  convey  diflerent  impressions.  It  is  made  ot 
fermented  mares'  milk,  kept  in  a  skin,  and  generally 
hung  at  the  door  of  the  hut  or  tent.  It  is  the  great 
drink  of  summer,  but  really  not  more  popular  than  the 


AMONG   TUF   COSSACKS. 


77 


mixture  of  rice  and  honey  which  is  the  favourite  winter 
beverage. 

After  a  stay  in  Tcherkask,  Hcber  and  Thornton 
crossed  over  to  Azov,  and  made  their  way  thence 
through  the  country  of  the  Kuban  to  Kertch.  On 
their  journe}^  through  this  wild  country  they  came  in 
contact  with  the  Circassians,  who  were  "  out "  at  that 
time ;  but  beyond  having  a  number  of  false  alarms  and 
their  Cossack  guard  increased  in  number  at  different 
stations,  nothing  out  of  the  ordinary  happened.  The 
way  was  chiefly  marsh  and  bog,  but  this  unpleasantness 
was  balanced  by  the  abundance  of  excellent  sport  with 
deer,  hares,  pheasants,  and  ducks  which  they  were 
able  to  enjoy. 

Of  Kertch  Heber  could  find  no  good  word  to  say, 
except  in  favour  of  its  antiquities.  The  town  was 
small  and  wretched,  and  the  manners  of  the  people 
contrasted  ill  with  those  of  the  Cossacks.  Heber  men- 
tions in  his  journal  that  at  Kertch  a  Russian  major 
"  who  agreed  to  furnish  us  with  horses  and  an  open 
kibitka  to  Kaffa,  insisted  on  such  usurious  terms  that 
the  other  officers  cried  out,  *  Shame ' ; "  and  that  the 
same  man  afterwards  squeezed  some  further  presents 
out  of  Thornton's  servants.  "  A  Cossack,"  he  adds, 
"  would  have  disdained  such  conduct." 

Leaving  Kertch  and  passing  over  the  swampy  plains 
— then  densely  settled  by  the  bustard,  the  crane,  and 
the  stork— of  the  eastern  peninsula  of  the  Crimea,  they 
arrived  at  Kaffa,  and  again  were  much  impressed  by 
the  dismal  condition  of  the  town.  But  Kaffa  had  a 
more  picturesque  position  and  architectural  qualifica- 
tions. Although  the  town  was  nearly  a  complete  ruin 
at  the  time,  it  rose  from  the  water's  edge  and  climbed 
the  hill  behind  with  an  effective  display.  The  forti- 
fications, once  magnificent,  \'/ere  still  impressive ;  some 
beautiful  Mohammedan  baths  still  showed  signs  of 
past  magnificence,  though  converted  into  warehouses  ; 
mosques  there  were  in  plenty — only  one,  however,  not 
a  ruin.     Travelling  thence   along   the  southern  shore, 


:  m 


1 1 '  I 


: )' 


I-:'  II 
;;. ) 


i  » 


78 


REGINALD  TIEBER. 


an 


overshadowed  on  the  north  by  a  long  range  of  hills, 
they  came  to  Sudak,  where  they  spent  a  day  with 
Pallas,  the  famous  artist  and  antiquary.  Here  the 
Greek  element  was  very  dominant,  and  the  chief  in- 
dustry lay  in  th^.'  vineyard.  Beyond  Sudak  the  people 
ceased  to  bear  the  appearance  or  have  the  customs  of 
peoples  of  the  plain.  They  became  mountaineers, 
largely  Greek  and  Turkish  ;  while  here  and  there  was 
a  village  of  Armenians.  The  roofs  of  the  houses  became 
flat,  and  porticoes  surround  the  walls.  One  above  the 
other,  in  an  irregular  order,  like  the  burrows  in  a  rabbit 
warren,  the  houses  were  built  along  the  flanks  of  the 
hills  ;  vineyards  above  and  fruit  orchards  below,  the 
country  was  a  pleasant  change  from  the  swamp  and 
morass  of  the  Cossack  country. 

Passing  the  rocky  cape  of  Lambat,  the  converging 
point  of  perhaps  the  fin^-st  scenery  in  the  Crimea,  it 
is  interesting  to  note  that  these  young  jiatriots  visited 
Balaclava  and  Inkerman.  Ileber  writes  of  the  latter 
place — fifty  years  before  the  time  when  the  greycoats 
and  redcoats  were  to  mingle  in  carnage — that  "  there 
are  some  formidable  batteries,  and  the  mouth  of  the 
harbour  is  very  easy  of  defence."  A  brief  stay  v/as  made 
in  Batchiserai,  then  the  largest  town  in  the  Crimea,  and 
peopled  by  Turks,  jews,  and  Armenians  almost  exclu- 
sively, and  then,  regaining  the  mainland,  they  journeyed 
on  to  Perekof  From  here  we  cannot  follow  them  step 
by  step  on  their  way  through  Little  Russia,  Poland, 
Hungary,  Austria,  Germany,  and  Prussia,  and  finally 
to  1  lamburg,  where  they  took  ship  for  Yarmouth  ;  but 
a  visit  to  the  tomb  of  that  great  philanthropist,  John 
Howard,  so  soon  after  his  death,  and  Heber's  impres- 
sions of  the  great  battle-field  of  Austc  litz,  only  a  few 
months  following  the  g.eatest  battle  up  to  that  time 
fought  in  P^urope,  may  well  conclude  this  chapter,  and 
the  narrative  of  a  journey  of  quite  exceptional  interest. 

Heber  visited  the  tomb  of  Howard  and  sketched  it. 
He  tells  us  thnt  it  is  in  the  de.sert,  about  a  mile  from 
Cherson.     It  was  built  by  Admiral  Mordvinof,  and  is 


I 

i  ! 


of  hills, 
ay  with 
[ere  the 
:hicf  in- 
s  people 
stonis  of 
taineers, 
lere  was 
s  became 
bove  the 
a  rabbit 
s  of  the 
low,  the 
imp  and 


a- 


n  verging 
rimea,  it 
s  visited 
he  latter 
ney  coats 
t  **  there 
h  of  the 
•/as  made 
mea,  and 
ist  excl Li- 
eu rneyed 
hem  step 
,  Poland, 
id  finally 
)uth  ;  but 
list,  John 
3  impres- 
ily  a  few 
that  time 
pter,  and 
interest, 
etched  it. 
mile  from 
)f,  and  is 


> 
r 
> 
r, 
r 
> 


!  t  { 


1  )• 

I  ■    ' 


8o 


REC.INALD   IIEl'.ER. 


"  a  small  brick  pyramid,  whitewashed,  but  without  any 
inscription.  He  himself  fixed  on  the  spot  of  his  inter- 
ment. He  had  built  a  small  hut  on  this  part  of  the 
steppe,  where  he  passed  much  of  his  time,  as  bemg  the 
most  healthy  spot  in  the  neighbourhood.  I  he  English 
Burial  Service  was  read  over  him  by  Admiral  Priestman, 
from  whom  1  had  these  particulars.  .  .  Howard  was 
spoken  of  with  exceeding  respect  and  affection  by  all 
who  remembered  or  knew  him  ;  and  they  were  many. 

Edward  Clarke,  whose  travels  in  Russia  a  few  years 
before  Heber  have  enriched  our  literature  concerning 
that  country  with  a  most  entertaining  work  gives  us 
a  most  graphic  account  of  the  last  hours  of  Howard, 
the  details  of  which  he  took  down  from  Admiral  Friest- 
man.  This  officer,  like  many  other  Englishmen  was 
in  the  Russian  service,  and  was  thus  enabled  to  befriend 
Howard  at  the  end.  It  had  been  Howard's  practice  to 
visit  the  Admiral  at  a  fixed  time  every  day,  laying  his 
watch  on  the  table  as  he  entered  to  enable  him  to  spend 
the  exact  time-one  hour-he  allotted  to  the  visit  One 
dav  finding  that  Howard  did  not  come,  the  Admiral 
went  out  to  see  him.  Howard  had  been  struck  down 
by  fever,  and  was  sick  unto  death.  After  a  little  con- 
versation he  said  to  Priestman,— 

''There  is   a   spot   near   the   village  of  Dauphigny 
which  would  suit  me  nicely  ;  you  know  it  well,  for  I 
have  often  said  I  should  like  to  be  buried  there  ;  and 
let  me  beg  of  you,  as  you  value  your  old  friend,  not  to 
suffer  any  pomp  to  be  used  at  my  funeral ;  nor  any 
monument,   or  monumental  inscription   whatsoever,   to 
mark  where  I  am  laid  ;  but  lay  me  quietly  in  the  earth, 
place  a  sun-dial  over  my  grave,  and  let  me  be  forgotten. 
Priestman  went  straight  forth  and  obtained  permission 
to  use  the  piece  of  ground  as  a  burial-place.     He  then 
returned  to    Howard   and  told  him.     This    seemed  to 
make  the  dying  man  satisfied.     Just  at  this  moment  a 
letter  arrived  from  England,  giving  him  good  news  ot 
his  son.     On  hearing  it  read,  Hr>w.ard  said  to  Priest- 
man, •'  Is  not  this  comfort  for  a  dying  father  ? 


AMONG  THE  COSSACKS. 


8 1 


He  then  made  the  Admiral  promise  to  read  the 
English  Burial  Service  over  him — he  greatly  disliked 
the  ceremonies  of  the  Greek  Church.  Priestman  pro- 
mised, and  Howard  never  spoke  again.  A  little  later, 
Admiral  Mordv^nof  (then  in  command  of  the  Russian 
{['  .  in  the  Black  Sea)  came  in  to  see  him.  Howard 
recognised  him,  and  then,  in  the  presence  of  these  good 
friends,  quietly,  and  without  apparent  pain,  drew  his 
last  breath.  His  portrait  had  never,  I  think,  been  taken  ; 
but  Mordvinof  had  a'  mould  taken  of  the  great  philan- 
thropist's features,  and  Clarke  saw  a  cast  of  this  mould 
when  at  Cherson. 


^3'^-fa*-- 


TOMU    OF   JOHN    HOWARD. 

(From  a  (hiiwiiig  by  Reginald  Hcber.) 

The  sun-dial  was  not  placed  above  him,  but  a  monu- 
ment of  some  pretensions  but  unusual  ugliness.  Stone 
posts,  connected  by  chains,  were  placed  round  for 
protection,  but  when  Heber  made  his  sketch  these  had 
entirely  disappeared. 

On  leaving  Vienna,  Heber  and  Thornton  travelled 
to  Briinn,  and  from  there  they  visited  the  field  of 
Austerlitz.  Heber  tells  us  that  they  "  passed  a  whole 
day  in  tracing  out  and  drawing  plans  of  the  battle.  .  .  . 
Except  a  lew  skeletons  of  horses,  and  a  few  trees 
which   have    been   shivered   by  bullets,  all  wears  its 

6 


82 


REGINALD   IIEllER. 


ancient  appearance.  .   .  .  We  drew  much   .nf..rmat.o. 
from  a  sensible  farmer  in  the  village  ot  behuhnitz.     All 
the  stories  wv  had  heard  in   Russia  were  very  ialse  ; 
and   the    Austrian-^'    account   of  the   behaviour  ot    the 
Russian  troops  equally  so.     The  loss  ot  the  battle  is 
entirely  attributable  to  the  scandalous  want  of  intorma- 
tion    of   the    Austrians,   and   to  the  extended   I'ne  on 
which    Kotusof  made    the    attack.     The    trench    had 
behaved  very  well  till  their  victory,  but  alter  it  they 
committed    m-eat   excesses    among    the    villages  ;    the 
Russians    were    popular   among    the    common    people, 
which   at   once   proved  the   falsehood  of  the  scandals 
circulated  against  them  at  Vienna.     At  last,  however, 
they  too    were    driven    to    plunder  ;    but    it    was    by 
absolut(^  famine,   owing  to  the   miserable  weakness  ot 
the  Austrian  G.A'ernment,  and  the  bad  conduct  ot  their 
aoents      The  Russians  understood  the  Moravian  lan- 
-uagc   being  only  a  dialect  of  the  Slavonian  ;  and  tins 
drcumstance  endeared  them  a  good  deal  to  the  people. 
The  loss  of  the  French  on  this  memorable  day  was  much 
greater  than   they  have    been    willing    to   alloxy.     My 
informant  had  passed  the  morning  after  the  battle    rom 
Schohnitz  by   Pratzcn   to   Austerlitz.     On  the    hill   ot 
Pratzen,    he    said,    M    could    not    set    my  foot  to  the 
ground  for  blue  uniforms.'     I  drew  there  a  few  plans 
of  the  ground,  and  at  last  succeeded  in  makmg  a  very 
exact  one.     While  1  was  thus  employed,  1   was  taken 
for  a  French  spy,  and  accosted  by  some  ianners  who 
asked,  with  many  apologies,  for  my  passport.     1  toltl 
them  I  had  none,  and  a  very  curious  village  counci    ot 
war  was  held,  which  was  terminated  l)y  the  arrival  ot 
Thornton  and  the  guide  we  had  taken  from  l>t-unn^ 

At  Hamburg   Ileber  and  Thornton  met  Lord  Mor- 
peth, and  he  gave  them  the  use  of  his  cutter.     In  this 
they  sailed  to  Yarmouth,  landing  on  October  14th   iboO 
the  very  day  on  which  the  battle  of  Jena  was  tought 
^  ■   -^  ^        ■  .  -•-     Tr..„.,<,ji   ,^  battle  which 


between  the  Prussians  an 
])laced  l^russia  at 
few  month 


F 


the  feet  of  Bonaparte,  and  resulted,  a 
later,  in  the  Peace  of  Tilsit. 


CHAPTER    IV. 


THF    COUNTS'    PARSON'. 


IT  EBER  had  written  to  his  brother  from  Lcniberg, 
1  "  1  shall  certainly  see  yen  before  the  All  Souls' 
election."  As  a  Fellow  of  that  society  he  was  keenly 
interested  in  the  matter;  but  on  his  return  he  found 
the  country  on  the  very  eve  of  a  general  election,  and, 
as  his  brother  was  a  candidate  for  the  University  seat 
he  made  up  his  mind  to  stay  a  day  at  Oxford  on  his 
way  home.  By  a  curious  coincidence,  John  Thornton's 
father  and  uncle  were  both  candidates  for  other  seats, 
and  the  young  travellers  flung  themselves  into  the 
struggle  with  all  the  zest  of  Englishmen  whose  foreign 
experiences  have  heightened  their  patriotism.  Richard 
Heber  was  beaten  by  Abbott,  and  Thointon's  father  also 
suffered  defeat;  but  \  e  find  Reginald  writing:  "My 
brother's  minority  is  tr.;;  i.'n.-t  numerous  ever  known  on 
a  similar  occasion  ;  and  as  the  whole  weight  of  govern- 
ment weni  against  him,  it  was  scarcely  to  be  expected 
that  a  mere  country  gentleman,  with  no  inLorcst  but  his 
personal  character,  could  have  pro  !u'~'^H  such  serious 
numbers,  of  which  not  a  single  vote  coulu  be  atiributed 
to  unworthy  or  unfit  motives."  A  qucM-oii  arose  as 
to  the  eligibility  of  the  successful  candidate,  but  Richard 
Heber  ixfused  to  re-open  the  matter. 

Naturally  the  welcome  home  to  Hodnet  was  very 


m-' 


M-  i- 


84 


UKCINALI)   IlEr.ER. 


1^ 


3     ■' 


Winn  Ik-bci-  had  not  forgotten  his  volunteers,  and  m 
Uie  first  letter  that  he  wrote  to  his  late  companion  he 
says  that  he  fou.ul  "  my  volunteers  complete  in  number, 
ind  in  hif^h  spirits."  We  also  learn  that  the  farmers 
of  the  ktrict'  gave  a  public  feast  in  honour  of  the 
volunteers,  to  celebrate  their  captain  s  safe  return  1 
am  ust  going  to  put  on  my  old  red  jacket,"  wrote  I  eber, 
-  and  iohi  them.     1  low  1  do  love  these  good  people  1 

lie  now  returned  to  Oxford,  and  went  into  residence 
nt  All   Souls.     Having  by  this  time  fully   determined 
To   ake  Oiders,  he  wa!  landing  hard.     Fortunately  the 
itmosohere  of  Ml  Souls  was  in  no  sense  unfavourable, 
or  iJs  qu  te  probable  that  a  fit  of  "  travellcn-'s  unrest  " 
miAit  have  supervened.     -Fho  very  air  of  the  place 
brSlhes    study'     While    I    write    1    am    enjoying   the 
luxuries  of  a  bright  coal  fire,  a  green  desk,  and  a  tea- 
kettle   bubbling.     What    should    we    have    thought   of 
such  a  situation  at  Tcherkask  or  at   laganrog?       Lx- 
ner  ence  had  evidently  had   the   effect  of  heightening 
the  contrast,   and  led  Ileber  to  appreciate  more  fully 
the   comfort^  of  England.     Yet  there  are  ^^^ny  men 
who  would  have  preferred  the  swamps  of  the  Kuban 
to  the  ancient  turf  of  an  Oxford  quadrangle 

Bishop  Cleaver,  who  was  still  Principal  of  Brazenose 
continued  to  take  great  interest  in  his  old  pupil,  and 
we  find  that  he  gave  him  much  advice  about  his  course 
of  reading.     But  there  were  evidently  intermissions  in 
Ue  study      Here  is  a  characteristic  little  note:  though 
Cnibertlur  la  grandc  tactujuc  unfortunately  -duced  me 
a  little  as  he  lay  very  temptingly  on  my  study  table, 
\  lave  done  with  him  ;  tactics  are  now,  indeed   enough 
o  make  a  man  sick.     What  are   our  wise   Ministers 
about    sending  Lord   Hutchison,  at  this  time   of  da>s 
to  t  e  Continent  ?  "     He  had  already  sa  d  that  he  had 
thought  of  the  '-  fatal   14th  of  October  "-the  day  on 
'vhich  Jena  was  fought  and  Napoleon  ^became  mastei 
of  Prussia— until  he  was  "half  crazy    • 

We  find  him   now   in  the  midst  of  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances.    To  one-R.  W.  Hay,  afterwards  Under 


THE  COUNTRY    PARSON. 


85 


Secretary  of  State  for  the  Colonies — he  gives  most  de- 
tailed routes  for  a  journey  through  Eastern  Europe  ;  for 
another — Sir  James  Riddell — he  translates  into  English 
verse  some  German  poems.  Sir  Thomas  Acland  and 
Sir  Robert  Inglis— both  members  of  Christ  Church — 
are  very  dear  friends  ;  and  the  festivities  of  a  ball  at  a 
country  inn,  which  effectually  kept  him  from  sleeping 
all  night,  occasion  a  humorous  set  of  Greek  verses 
(in  Homeric  metre)  to  Lord  Ebrington,  then  at  Braze- 
nose.  Another  friend  write  jf  him  in  these  Oxford 
days  in  the  following  wa}'  :  - 

"At  a  time  when,  with  the  enthusiasm  of  the  place, 
I  had  rather  caught  by  heart  than  learnt  *  Palestine,' 
and  when  it  was  a  privilege  to  any  one  of  any  age  to 
know  Reginald  Hebcr,  1  had  the  delight  of  forming  his 
acquaintance.  I  cannot  forget  the  feeling  of  admiration 
with  which  I  approached  his  presence,  or  the  surprise 
with  which  I  contrasted  my  abstract  image  of  him  with 
his  own  simple,  social,  every-day  manner.  He  talked 
and  laughed  like  those  around  him,  and  entered  into 
the  pleasures  of  the  day  with  them,  and  with  their  relish  ; 
but  when  any  higher  subject  was  introduced  (and  he 
was  never  slow  in  contriving  to  introduce  literature  at 
least,  and  to  draw  from  his  exhaustless  memory  riches 
of  every  kind)  his  manner  became  his  own.  He  never 
looked  up  at  his  hearers  (one  of  the  few  things,  by-the- 
bye,  which  1  could  have  wished  altered  in  him  in  after 
life,  for  he  retained  the  habit) ;  with  his  eyes  downcast 
and  fixed,  he  poured  forth  in  a  measured  intonation, 
which  from  him  became  fashionable,  stores  of  every  age  : 
the  old  romances ;  Spenser ;  some  of  our  early  prose 
writers  ;  of  Scott's  published  works  ;  or  verses  of  his 
own.  I  speak  not  of  one  day  only,  but  of  my  general 
recollection  of  his  habits,  as  after  that  day  witnessed 
often.  One  moonlight  night  (I  do  not  recollect  the  year) 
we  were  walking  together,  talking  of  the  old  fabliaux 
and  romances  with  which  his  memory  was  full  ;  and 
we  continued  our  walk  till  long  past  midnight.  He 
said  that  it  was  a  very  easy  style,  and  he  could  imitate 


lill 


Ill 


ii! 


\h\ 


86 


RKCINALD    HKI'-l 


it  without  an  effort,  and  as  he  went  along  he  rcrited, 
composing  as  he  recited,  th<'  liappiest  inutatious  ot  the 
Geoi-Ln-Kllis  sprciuiens  whuli  I  ever  saw. 

IklM  r  had  tlie  knack  whieh  belongs  to  only  clever 
nnn—that  of  writing  excellent  n..nsense.  lie  usrd  to 
contribute  ;rux  iVc^pril  to  the  Gcullniians  Magn-.me 
even  at  this  time,  and  write  many  smart  c  p.grams  tor 
his  friends.  Nevertheless,  he  read  hard,  and  was  at 
this  period,  as  well  as  in  his  nnd,  rgraduate  days  a 
close  student.  The  subject,  loo,  to  which  he  gave  the 
largest  share  of  his  attention— theology— was  calcutateil, 
of  course,  to  make  his  literary  work  more  and  more  ot 

grave  complexion.  ,       „  ,  •     .• 

lleber  was  ordained  deacon  in   1S07,  and  was  nisti- 
tuted    by   his   brother   Richard  to  the  fanuly  hvmg  ot 
lludnet      This,  however,  did  not  create  an  mmiediat. 
break  in  his  life,  for  he  returned  to  Oxford  to  contuuie 
reading   f(..r  Orders,  and   to    proceed    to    M.A.    m    the 

usual  course.  .  .  ,     ^  1  -i     1        f 

The  doubts  and  difficulties  which  for  a  while  beset 
nearly  all  students  of  theology-certainly  all  who  have 
trained  and  logical  minds,  and  conscientious  thorougb- 
ness  of  thought-did  not  pass  by  the  tuture  bishoi). 
Writing  to  'rhornton,  on  hearing  ot  his  engagement, 
he  <dves  us  an  insight  into  his  work  at  that  time.  "  he 
Grc^ek  Testament  always  occupies  my  mornings,  but 
1   have  received  my  Crimea   sketches  from  home,  and 

my  other  studie. (.ocke,  Cudworth,  etc.     have  a  little 

Piven  way  to  r,;y  h.dian  ink.  In  about  a  lortmght  1 
hope  to  be  abK  !u  f^end  you  a  fresh  series  of  drawings. 
I  am  glad  almost  to  have  this  break  in  my  studies  as 
1  wasV)ginning  to  perplex  myself  with  several  useless 
d.mbts,  which  had  once  almost  frightened  me  trom 
taking  priest's  orders.  The  more  I  read  of  the 
ScripUires,  the  more  I  am  convinced  that  John  Laivm, 
and  his  master  St.  Augustine,  were  miserable  theolo- 


^  myself  in  the  idea 

still  conscientiously  subscribe  to  tlie  Articles, 

■hicii'may  well,  /  think,  admit   an   Arminian    inter- 


nans  ;  but  1  hope  I  am  not  deceivin 

that  1  may 

w 


TF'E  roiINTf  ■   PARSON. 


87 


pretatioii.  I'pist  opius  'bought  so  ev(  a  of  the  I'lik.s  of 
doctrine  ill  llollaml.  I  hop<  I  ain  not  wrong.  .  had  no 
doubts  of  this  sort  when  I  t«ok  deacon's  orders ;  but  I 
have  incc  met  with  a  httlc  work,  by  a  man  whom  they 
(all  lu  i  (■  an  *c  vanij[elical  preacher '(allow  me  still  to  -Hs- 
like  this  use  of  the  woid),  who  has  deduced  from  onr 
litmgy  doctrines  ent-ngh  to  frighten  one.     I  hopi    m 


trust  for  God's  guidance.  Pray 
for  mc,  my  dear  hiend,  that  I  may 
have  my  eyes  open  to  the  truth,  what- 
ever it  may  be  ;  that  no  interest  may 
warp  me  from|  it;  and  that  il  it 
pleases  God   that    1  persevere   in   His 

ministry,    I   may   undertake    the  chai'ge   with    a   quiet 

mind  and  good  conscience.     This  is  now  my  purpose ; 

may  it  be  prohtable  to  me  and  to  many." 

In  August   1807  we  hear  of  liir.i  first  as  a   pastor. 

It   was,    in    one    sense,   no  new  sphere.     Among   the 


ti  ■  I 


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(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  2) 


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IIIIM 
IIIIM 

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=  (716)    482  -  0300  -  Ptione 

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88 


REGINALD  IIEP.ER. 


people  of  Modnet  he  had  grown  up  :  he  knew  them  all 
— old  and  young.  He  had  always  had  a  strong 
affection  for  them,  and  they  for  him.  He  had  entered 
into  their  simple  joys,  and  when  danger  threatened  the 
country  he  had  been  the  first  to  share  with  them  in  the 
duty  of  actively  fitting  themselves  to  resist  the  invasion. 
It  was  not  unnatural,  therefore,  though  unusual  enough 
in  the  common  experience,  that  on  his  going  to  Hodnet 
as  Rector  the  people  should  have  welcomed  him  by 
bidding  him  and  his  volunteers  to  a  feast !  Those 
were  the  days  of  ''moving  discourses" — which  Swift 
has  so  caustically  satirised — and  it  was  the  correct 
thing  for  the  congregation  to  fall  a-weeping  when,  at 
regular  intervals,  the  preacher  delivered  himself  of  a 
stirring  passage.  Now  Heber's  sermons  cannot  be 
accused  of  being  mere  mechanical  pieces  of  eloquence, 
or,  in  the  objectionable  sense,  highly  sentimental ;  but 
we  may  be  quite  sure  that  it  was  solely  due  to  their 
pride  and  affection  in  the  young  parson,  whom  they  had 
known  from  a  baby,  that  the  old  people  of  Hodnet 
began  to  weep  before  he  had  uttered  a  word  of  his  first 
sermon.  Their  admiration  for  the  brilliant  young  scholar 
knew  no  bounds,  and  Heber  himself  said  that  it  was 
really  appalling  to  have  such  expectations  formed  of  him. 
With  stead}'  directness  of  purpose,  however,  he  set 
himself  to  the  daily  work  that  formed  his  duty — that 
trivial  round,  that  common  task,  which  Keble  has  told 
us,  in  melodious  and  familiar  metre,  will  furnish  all  we 
need  to  ask — 

"  Room  to  deny  ourselves — a  road 
To  lead  us  dally  nearer  God." 

To  the  conscientious  parson  the  effect  of  his  ministra- 
tions upon  his  flock  is  ever  a  source  of  anxiety  and  a 
cause  for  misgivings.  It  is  not  in  the  least  surprising 
that  Heber,  with  all  his  devotion,  should  have  found 
in  this  an  almost  permanent  distress.  He  tells  us  that 
he  believes  the  people  like  his  way  with  them  and  the 
sermons  he  preaches  to   them,  that   his   congregations 


I 


THE  COUNTRY  PARSON. 


89 


are  good,  and  the  number  of  his  communicants  steadily 
increases.  Yet  he  says,  in  spite  of  this,  "  I  do  not  think 
any  great  amendment  takes  place  in  my  hearers." 
There  seems  to  have  been  despondency  in  not  perceiving 
an  actual  visible  harvest  spring  from  the  spiritual  seed, 
a  natural  desire  to  measure  results  from  which  few 
teachers  can  refrain.  Since  disappointment  seems 
almost  certain  to  follow  hope,  so  despondency  is  the 
inevitable  disaster  that  awaits  the  sanguine  mind. 
Although  it  is  sufficient  that  a  man  should  go  forth  to 
his  work  and  his  labour  until  the  evening,  and  leave  to 
the  gentle  dew  of  heaven  in  the  night  time  the  slow 
perfection  of  his  toil,  it  is  only  human  to  press  for  some 
sign  of  the  fruit.  Though  haply  the  due  season  be 
not  yet,  though  the  bud  will  burst  into  flower  and  the 
flower  into  fruit  when  the  spade  and  the  hoe  have  long 
been  laid  by,  it  is  not,  I  repeat,'  in  the  least  surprising 
that  the  sowers  of  the  spiritual  seed  should  have 
yearned,  a  thousand  times  over  in  the  history  even  of 
the  Church,  for  the  sight  of  the  fruit  of  their  labours,  and 
been  cast  down  because  it  has  been  denied.  Every 
class  has  the  defects  of  its  virtues ;  this  perhaps  is  the 
defect  most  pertaining  to  the  men  who  work  for  the 
moral  advantage  of  others. 

But  with  Heber  there  was  a  deal  of  practical  common 
sense  mixed  up  with  finer  (not  necessarily  higher) 
methods.  His  mode  of  tackling  the  Sunday  question 
may  be  taken  as  a  sample.  In  the  first  place  he  induced 
the  shopkeepers,  with  the  assistance  of  a  farmer  who 
was  one  of  the  churchwardens,  to  close  their  shops  on 
that  day.  In  the  next  he  got  all  the  innkeepers  to  sign 
a  self-denying  ordinance,  by  which  they  one  and  all 
agreed  to  close  their  houses  on  Sunday,  and  in  fhe 
event  of  their  failing  to  do  so,  or  at  any  rate  to  allow 
drinking  in  them,  to  pay  a  sum  of  five  guineas.  The 
elder  people  and  those  of  better  station  were  not  so 
difficult  to  prevail  with,  but — as  many  a  country  parson 
has  found — the  younger  members  of  his  fleck,  and 
especially  the  young  labourers,  made  of  themselves  very 


t-  1 


mi : 


n^'M 


3.    W'/    j 


i 

r  L 

HI 


90 


REGINALD  HEBER 


m 


sharp  thorns.  Ilcber  lamented  that  his  retirement 
from  the  captaincy  of  the  volunteers  had  cost  him  some 
influence ;  but  it  is  rather  difficult  to  see  how  he  could 
well  have  retained  it.  At  any  rate,  the  retention  might 
have  been  a  cause  of  offence  and  stumbling  to  many 
whose  simple  minds,  like  those  of  children,  exact  our 
reverence. 

Not  that  Ileber  was  willing  to  travel  only  in  the  well- 
worn  rut.  His  "  psalm-singing  "  was  very  bad,  and  he 
writes  to  ask  a  friend  if  he  can  tell  him  "where 
Cowper's  Olncy  Hynms,  with  the  music,  and,  in  a 
smaller  size,  without  the  music,  to  put  in  the  seats."  can 
be  bought.  For  some  of  them  he  confesses  a  liking,  and 
adds  :  *•  Any  novelty  is  likely  to  become  a  favourite,  and 
draw  more  people  to  join  in  the  singing."  Here  we 
have  that  "felt  want"  which  was  to  make  Heber  a 
writer  of  hynms. 

Earnest,  yet  for  his  iime  not  narrow  in  his  views  of 
the  pastoral  office,  it  is  pleasant  to  remember  that  the 
intolerance  of  the  age  towards  dissent  found  no  great 
champion  in  the  Hodnet  rector.  Nothing  would  have 
been  more  natural  had  he  iliown  such  intolerance. 
The  son  of  the  squire,  and  the  descendant  of  a  family 
with  no  social  connections  with  dissent ;  a  Tory  and  a 
Churchman  by  lineage  as  well  as  by  persuasion  ;  an 
(3xf(M-d  scholar,  accustomed  to  the  intellectual  aristocracy 
of  which  he  himself  was  so  conspicuous  a  member,— 
these  influences,  each  strong  and,  by  cumulative  force, 
of  almost  irresistible  pressure  when  combined,  might 
well  have  made  him  as  bitter  a  partisan  as  the 
narrowest  sectarian  of  them  all.  Naturally,  of  course, 
he  prefers  the  communion  in  which  he  was  '  "n,  and 
the  privileges  of  which  he  inherited  ;  but  the'  withal 
a  sympathy  with  the  sheep  of  the  other  fold  v'hich  at 
the  beginning  of  this  century  was  rare  enough. 

He  writes  to  a  friend  that  ''the  Methodists  are 
neither  very  numerous  nor  very  active ;  they  have  no 
regular  meetings,  but  assemble  from  great  distances 
to  meet  a  favourite  preacher."     And  he  adds  :  "  1  have 


THE  COUNTRY  PARSON. 


91 


in 


a 
can 


sometimes  thought,  and  it  has  made  me  really  uncom- 
fortable, that  since  Rowland  Hill's  visit  to  the  country 
my  congiegation  was  thinner.  But,"  he  adds,  by  way 
of  self-comfort,  "  perhaps  it  was  only  owing  to  the  bad 
^veather,  as  my  numbers  are  now  a  little  increasing. 
The  test  here  of  a  Churchman  is  the  Sacrament,  which 
the  Methodists  never  attend." 

The  spring  of  1809  brought  a  great  change  to 
Ileber's  life.  For  in  the  April  of  that  year  he  married 
Amelia,  the  youngest  daughter  of  the  then  Dean  of 
St.  Asaph,  William  Davies  Shipley.  This  lady  had 
inherited  her  active  interest  in  Church  matters  from  her 
father  and  grandfathei',  who  had  been  Bishop  of  St. 
Asaph,  and,  in  addition,  thi-ew  into  her  husband's  work 
all  the  stimulating  force  of  an  able  character.  The 
marriage  led  to  her  husband's  leaving  Oxford  for  good 
— he  had  given  some  of  his  time  to  All  Souls  up  to  this 
date — and  the  setting  up  of  house  at  Hodnet  Rectory. 
So  after  a  honeymoon  in  Wales  they  returned  to  Modnet. 

Heber  now  gave  even  greater  per'jo.ial  attention  to 
liis  large  parish,  the  cares  of  which  were  eagerly 
shared  by  his  wife.  At  first  he  kept  no  curate,  and  it 
was  only  when  the  result  of  his  pastoral  work  gave 
birth  to  many  new  calls  on  time  and  thought  that  he 
relinquished  the  sole  care  of  his  people.  Courted  by 
the  county  society,  in  which  by  birth  iuJ  by  office  he  had 
a  double  share,  he  determined  to  withdraw  as  much  as 
possible  from  the  social  intercourse  which  threatened  to 
absorb  his  time,  and  give  his  thoughts  and  presence 
more  and  more  to  h.s  people.  He  was  indeed,  as  one 
who  was  most  able  to  judge  has  said,  "  their  earthly 
guide,  their  pastor  and  friend."  Fortunate  in  the  pos- 
session of  ample  means,  his  hand  was  able  to  respond 
to  his  heart ;  indeed,  he  was  what  is  now  called — for 
charity  organisation  has  taught  us  some  lessons — an 
indiscriminate  giver  ;  one  of  his  rules,  which  he  never 
broke,  was  to  "  give  to  all  who  asked."  On  the  other 
hand,  much  of  his  charity  was  done  in  secret.  When 
he  had  left  llodnct  for  India — for  ever — and  only  then, 


-;  hi 


■  n 


y 


92 


REGINALD  IIE13ER. 


Ni    i 


did  many  of  his  benevolent  acts  come  to  light.  Himself 
possessed  of  a  sensitive  nature,  he  seldom  failed  to 
contrive  to  make  his  charity  appear  the  privilege  of  a 
friend,  or  the  duty  of  the  pastor.  Always  easy  in  his 
exactment  of  his  dues,  his  private  means  enabled  him 
to  often  yield  to  the  temptation  of  consenting  to  forego 
them. 

There  is  a  characteristic  story  of  his  having  given 
a  poor  woman  three  shillings,  and  on  her  exclaiming, 
"  The  Lord  reward  you,  and  give  you  fourfold  I  "  he 
wrote,  *'  How  unreasonable  are  the  expectations  of 
men  !  This  good  woman's  wish  for  me,  which  sounds 
so  noble,  amounts  but  to  twelve  shillings ;  and  we, 
when  we  give  such  a  pittance,  are  apt  to  expect  heaven 
as  our  reward." 

In  his  correspondence  with  John  Thornton,  which 
he  kept  up  through  life,  we  find  many  interesting  in- 
dications of  his  pastoral  work  and  religious  views.  On 
one  point  he  was  very  insistent — the  false  assumption 
of  the  word  '*  Evangelical "  as  a  party  badge.  In  this 
he  must  have  the  sympathy  of  all  Christians  who  are 
sufficiently  logical  in  their  faith  to  perceive  the  absurdity 
of  applying  to  a  part  a  name  which  belongs  to  the 
whole.  The  "corporation  spirit"  of  the  so-called  evan- 
gelical party,  then  in  the  ascendant,  he  particularly 
deplored,  while  recognising,  I  believe,  in  the  fullest 
decree  the  value  of  the  intense  earnestness  of  their 
spiritual  teaching.  In  speaking  of  extempore  prayer 
he  confessed  his  personal  preference  for  "  forms  " — "  You 
know  my  lips  are  rather  those  of  Moses  than  Aaron." 
At  Berlin  he  had  bought  an  edition  of  Luther's  works, 
and  he  acknowledges  the  pleasure  he  had  had  in  reading 
them,  and  the  hints  for  sermons  which  they  had  afforded. 
On  the  other  hand,  he  says  that  Luther  is  "  in  some 
places  inconceivably  coarse,  and  generally  displays 
great  want  of  reading  "  ;  but  he  adds,  by  way  of  counter- 
balance, that  "  his  strong  mind  makes  ample  amends. 
He  is  a  sort  of  religious  Cobbett ;  but  with  similar 
vulgarity  of  sentiment  he  has  morf^?  eloquence." 


THE  COUNTRY   PARSON. 


93 


In  1812  the  pulling  down  of  the  old  rectory  house 
at  Ilodnet  to  make  room  for  a  Ir-ger  one  led  to  his 
living  at  Moreton  for  the  next  two  years.  This  did 
not,  however,  occasion  a  break  in  his  pastoral  work, 
for  Moreton  was  a  perpetual  curacy  in  the  large  parish 
of  Ilodnet.  But  it  was  at  this  period  that  he  suffered 
a  good  deal  of  ill-health  arising  out  of  a  skin  disease, 
which  he  had  contracted  from  exposure  when  travelling 
in  the  Crimea.  A  long  course  of  medicine  and,  finally, 
warm  sea-bathing,  enabled  him  after  some  two  or  three 
years  to  throw  off  this  affection  ;  but  although  fr-  -i 
time  to  time  he  was  absent  from  his  parish,  we  shall 
see  later  that  his  literary  work  was  in  no  degree  in- 
terrupted. Indeed,  he  was  always  the  first  to  make 
a  jest  of  his  own  inconveniences,  and  he  writes  to 
R.  J.  Wilmot  in  this  humorous  strain:  "If  you  ever 
fell  in  with  Costigan's  *  Travels  in  Portugal,'  you  need 
not  be  informed  of  the  high  military  station  held  by 
St.  Anthony,  who  was  in  those  days  colonel  of  the 
First  Regiment  of  Guards,  and  held  the  rank  of  Field 
Marshal  of  the  forces.  Just  such  a  military  St.  Anthony 
has  kept  up  the  hottest  fire  ever  witnessed  on  this  side 
the  Douro  on  my  right  wing ;  and  though,  in  the  first 
instance,  repelled  by  copious  lotions  of  goulard  and 
water  has  repeated  his  attack  a  second  time,  and  is 
now  a  second  time  defeated."  It  is  interesting  to  note 
that  his  medical  man  was  Dr.  Darwin,  the  father  of  the 
great  naturalist. 

In  October  he  hears  of  the  French  entry  into  Moscow, 
and  he  writes  to  Thornton,  his  fellow-traveller  in  Russia, 
recalling  the  old  days:  "Which  of  us  could  have 
believed,  when  we  witnessed  the  wolf-hunt  on  those 
wide  frozen  waters,  that  the  cuirassiers  of  France  would 
ever  let  their  horses  drink  there?  For  the  fate  of 
Moscow  I  confess  I  feel  very  keenly;  I  cannot  with- 
out sorrow  fancy  to  m.yself  any  one  of  those  wooden 
houses  where  we  were  so  hospitably  received  a  prey 
to  flames  and  military  plunder,  and  I  can  even  pity 
Latombelle's  hotel,  and  the  vile  hovel  of  Mon.  Makarof. 


I 


W 


i.a;t'w«J»*««" 


94 


RECTNAT.D    llKr.EK. 


I  wonder  whether  Rouffe  was  one  of  th.  three  thousand 
niflians  let  loose  from  the  prisons,  or  whether  young 
V wore  my  stolen  sword-belt  in  the  lu'st  ranks  at 

Borodino  ? "  .  ,  ♦ 

In  luly  1813  Hcber  was  offered  a  prebendury  ot 
Durham,  but  as  this  would  involve  his  exchange  of 
llodnet,  he  declined.  The  living  of  Hodnet  was  a 
valuable  one,  and  as  the  patronage  was  ni  the  hands 
of  his  brother  he  thought  (and  fairly,  too,  as  he  had 
himself  been  presented  to  it)  that  the  vested  mterest 
of  his  brother  hardly  permitted  his  maknig  the  rectory 
a  commercial  medium  for  his  own  advancement.  l:Jut 
he  writes  to  his  friend  Wilmot  that  *'  it  is  whnnsical 
that  when  we  were  last  talking  about  my  ambitious 
views,  I  mentioned  to  you  my  liking  for  a  prebendary 
of  the  sort  which  has  now  been  thrown  in  my  way. 

Mis  health  necessitated  a  visit  to  Tunbr.dge  Wells 
in  the  summer  of  1813,  aud  here  he  met  Madame  de 
Stael  He  sends  to  his  faithful  friend  1  hornton  one 
of' her  good  things— on  the  style  of  London  parties- 
"Une  societe  aux  coups  depoing;"  and  alter  describmg 
her  views  on  the  slave  trade  and  other  matters,  he  says 
that  she  differs  little  from  other  foreign  women  in 
appearance  and  style.  "She  is  not  handsome,  but, 
certainly,  not  ugly  for  her  time  of  hfe."  He  saw  her 
several  times,  and  subsequently  wrote  the  article  on 
her  in  the  Onartcrly  Rcviciv  of  March   18 14. 

It  was  inlhis  year,  too,  that  he  returned  to  Hodnet. 
With  his  health  restored  and  a  new  and  commodious 
house  in  which  to  live,  he  renewed  his  parish  w^c.rk  with 
zeal  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  at  times  he  found  his 
litermy  work  encroaching  on  the  hours  demanded  by 
his  lal-ge  parish,  and  that  occasionally  he  felt— perhaps 
a  little 'morbidly— that  the  former  was  only  an  amuse- 
ment and  that  the  latter  only  was  duty.  Sometimes, 
too  he  tells  us  that  he  finds  it  difficult  to  turn  from 
his' books.  But  this  was  not  a  symptom  of  spiritual 
disease,  as  Heber  and  many  other  right-minded  men 
have  occasionally  thought.     What  more  natural  than 


THE  COUNTRY   TARSON. 


95 


scribing 


that  wlicn  a  man  is  inti'iitly  studyinj:,^  a  subject  an 
ntciTU|)tioii  bhuiild  bear  the  aspect  of  irksomeness, 
especially  if  the  interruption  be  the  remembrance  of 
other  (.hitics  ?  It  was,  after  all,  merely  a  question  of 
alternatives,  and  it  is  open  to  any  one  to  ask  vviiich 
of  the  two  duties  is  to  take  precedence,  since  both 
cannot  be  carried  out  at  the  sr.me  time,  and  neither  be 
abandoned.  And  it  is  even  open  to  us  to  ask  whether 
one  might  not  be  in  itself  more  morally  valuable  than 


='  y-^.'"*^*   .  - '  •       ■  '.  ""■•■Mi. 


aoDNtl    RtCTOKV, 


another — whether  Hcbcr,  in  preparing  for  wide  publica- 
tion a  paper  on  some  pressing  question  of  public  morality, 
were  not  actually  doing  a  more  iVir-rcaching  act  of 
goodness  than  when  paying  a  round  of  pastoral  visits. 
There  was  not,  however,  in  Heber's  case,  and  there 
never  need  be  in  the  case  of  any  clergyman  who  '  mI 
add  to  the  voice  that  speaks  in  the  narrow  bounds  oi 
his  own  parish  the  silent  power  which  the  pen  exerts 
throughout  the  whole  countr3',  any  neglect  of  the 
beautiful  and  simple  office  of  the  village  pastor.  Had 
there  Lc;en,  he  would  have  suffered  blame — if  only  on 


|| 

'if 


96 


KEOINALI)  lIKr.ER. 


for  which 


the  ground  that  one  ought  to  do  the  work 
one  is  paid. 

But  otiier  wori<   from  outside    the   parish  began   to 
press    on    him,— work,    too,    which    he    could    hardly 
refuse.     This  led    to  his    younger    brother,    the    Rev. 
Thomas    Cuthbcrt    Ileber,    assisting    him   as   curate. 
Among   other   activities,    he   was    appointed    Bampton 
Lecturer  for  1815,  and  his  subject,  "The  Personality 
and  Office  of  the  Christian  Comforter,"  was  of  a  pecu- 
liai-ly  difficult   character,  requiring  a  wide   as  well  as 
an  intimate  acquaintance  with  patristic  theology.     His 
interest  in  this  was  very  deep,  and  the  pains  he  spent 
on  the  preparation  was  prodigious.     At  the  same  time 
his  interest  in   politics  was  as  keen  as  ever,  and    he 
followed  the  rapid  revolutions  taking  place  in  continental 
matters  with  close  sympathy.     Writing  to  Mr.  Wilmot 
in  1 8 14,  and  referring  to  his  friend's  visit  to  Paris,  he 
says    that    for   himself  he    must    be    "contented    with 
hearing   an    account   of   the   procession    of   the    allied 
sovereigns    to    Notre    Dame,    and    with    reading    the 
parallel  cases  of  Sejanus  and  Rufinus  in  Juvenal  and 
Claudian.     Is   not,"   he   asks,    "the   parallel  perfectly 
extraordinary  between  the  cries  of  the  mob  in  Juvenal 
and  the  first  proclamation  of  the  Parisian  senate  against 
the    man  whom  they   had   so  lately  addressed  as  the 
second  Charlemagne  ?  " 

Though  a  persistent  student  all  his  years,  and  now 
possessed  of  deep  knowledge  of  many  out-of-the-way 
as  well  as  more  common  subjects,  Heber's  manner  was 
simplicity  itself.  With  the  modesty  of  the  true  scholar, 
who  knows  how  few  are  the  shells  he  has  picked  up 
on  the  shore  of  the  ocean  of  knowledge,  he  never  con- 
founded the  ordinary  person  with  intellectual  display, 
or  dismayed  the  child  by  a  parade  of  superiority. 
There  is  told  a  story  of  a  child  who  had  been  repeating 
her  lesson  to  him,  and  was  in  no  way  impressed  with 
her  teacher's  learning.  She  told  her  mother  that  she 
liked  him  very  much,  but,  she  added,  "  I  do  not  think 
he  knows  much  more  than  I  do." 


TIIK  COUNTRY    PARSON. 


97 


Of  Ilcber's  refusal  to  permit   Rowland   liil,   thf  use 
of  the  pulpit  at  Weston,  one  of  his  outlying  ehapels-of- 
ease,  a  good  deal  of  unnecessary  pother  has  been  made. 
We  must  remember  that  the  times  were  very  different 
from   those   in   which  we  now  live.     The   Universities 
were    still   Lhe   close    corporations  of  the  Church ;    no 
Mansfield  College  would  have  been  possible  at  a  time 
when  every  member  of  the  Universities  had  to  assent  to 
the  Articles  of  the  English  Church.     The  truer  f(  eling 
of  Christian    brotherhood,   of   community    in    ultimate 
aims,  and  identity  in  the  essentials  of  faith,  was  yet  to 
influence  the  relations  of  the  men  who  both  preached 
the  same  message  of  their  (jne   Elder  Brother,  but  in 
dillerent    places    and  to  different   assemblies.      Ileber, 
indeed,    was   conspicuous  in  a  period   of  ecclesiastical 
intolerance  for  his  readiness  to  accept  and  admire  the 
earnestness  and  piety  of  many  dissi'ntcrs ;  but  he  was 
by  heredity  and  ix'rsuasion  a  devoted  member  of  the 
venerable   Church  of  England,      lie  hatl  no  objection 
to  Rowland  Hill's  preaching  at  WestcMi,  but  he  refused, 
through  the  curate  of  that  chapclry,  to  permit  his  doing 
so  again  after  preaching  at  a  dissenting  chapel  in  the 
parish  of  I  lodnet. 

I  say  again  that  in  these  days  of  a  b.eightened  sense 
of  true  catholicity  we  must  beware  of  hastily  passing 
judgment  on  him  for  narrowness.      Perhaps,  too,  it  was 
less  a  question  of  dogma  than  one  of  courtesy.     We 
cannot  dispute  established  facts,  and  it  is  an  undeniable 
fact  that  at  this  time  Church  and  Dissent  were  ranged 
in  acrimonious  activity  against  each  other.     Mr.  Row- 
land I  nil  (whose  good  taste  was  never  conspicuous),  after 
accepting  the  courtesy  of  the  parson's  pulpit,  proceeded 
to  cross  over  the  road  to  that  of  the  parson's  opponent. 
When   he  desired    to  recross  the  road  once  more,  he 
was  met  by  a  firm  but  polite  refusal.     And  Heber  wrote 
to  Hill's  brother,  pointing  cvi  how  very  distressing  the 
whole  subject  was,  stating  .lis  respect  for  the  character 
and  intentions  of  Rowland  Hill,  and  expressing  himself 
as  very  sensible  of  "  how  much  I  myself  might  learn 


<  fl 
1 1I 


f,  1 ! 


i^,  »i 


'"^  f  1 


f'W 


98 


UEC.INAM*   HKHEK. 


from  his  dauntless  /.cal  and  uinvcaiiod  exertions  "—an 
art  of  courtesy  and  an  expression  ol"  modesty  vliich  aie 
still  more  rari'  than  one  could  wish. 

In  1817  he  writes  with  nuich  sympathy  of  the  general 
distress  in  the  country,  and  has  various  suggestions  for 
permanently   improving    the   material    condition  ot   the 
labourers.     But  he  is  careiul  not  to  go  to  extremes— 
indecil    Heber   was   on  most  occasions   pre-eminently 
••  safe"— and  deprecates  the  idea  of  enclosing  connnons 
and  attaching  them  to  the  workhouse  as  a  sort  of  farm. 
He  iulvocates  the  abolition  of  the  salt  tax,  and,  forintel- 
krtual  improvement,  the  extensive  circulation  in  cheap 
form  of  really  popular  and  interesting  books.     Tracts, 
he  said,  were  not    rad    for    amusement,    and    though 
useful  as  a  counterblast  to  such  works  as  Faine's  "Age 
of  Reason,"  were  not  wanted  so  much  as  plenty  of  good 
healthy,  amusing,  and  interesting  reading,  which  would 
stimulate  the  sluggish  ajipetite  of  the  poor  man.     It  is 
worth  noting— as  the  names  are  still   so  well   known 
to    us— that    he    mentions    having    had    a  visit  "  from 
I  latchard  the  bookseller  and  Mortlock  the  china-dealer, 
who  were  going  round  the    country  on   a   benevolent 
mission  from  the  Society  for  relieving  the  manufacturing 

poor."  . 

In  the  same  year  Reginald  Ileber  was  apponited  to 
a  canonry  in  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Asaph,  and  to  the 
journeys  which  he  consequently  had  to  make  (on  horse- 
back) into  Wales  we  owe  many  of  his  poems.     I  le  was 
also  the  Select  Preacher  before  his  University  during  this 
year      The  (hiartcrly  Review  took  up  much  of  his  time, 
and,  in  his  private  reading,  Dr.  Chalmers'  astronomical 
discourses  and  sermons  appear  to  have  n^ade  a  great 
impression.      He   repeatedly   expressed   a  desire  that 
they  could  be  translated  into  French  for  diffusion  on 
the  Continent.     In  the  fcllowing  year  he  is  busy  again 
at    Hodnet   on    all   manner   of  undertakings;    and   it 
is  now  for  the  fir-.t  time,   I  think,  that  we  meet  with 
any  distinct  activity  in  missionary  matters.     It  is  pro- 
bable, however,  that  ever  since  his  travels  in  Eastern 


11 1 1',  COUNIKN'    I'AkSON. 


99 


s  "—an 
lich  aic 

general 
ions  for 

of  the 
enus — 
linently 
)iiimoiis 
of  farm, 
or  intel- 
n  cheap 

Tracts, 

though 
•s  "  Age 

of  good 
h  would 
11.      It  is 

known 
t  "  from 
a-dealcr, 
nevolent 
lacturing 

minted  to 
d  to  the 
)n  horsc- 
Ile  was 
aring  this 
his  time, 
•onomical 
t  a  great 
isire  that 
fusion  on 
usy  again 
;    and    it 
neet  with 
It  is  pro- 
1  Eastern 


Kuiopf  the  missionary  hiterest  was  there.  Curiously 
enough,  hut  vet  not  'innaturally,  the  first  note  is  in  the 
humorous  k.y.  Th.n;  wnv  slaying  at  a  neighbouring 
parson's  two  New  Z(  alanders,  who  had  been  brought 
over  by  a  missionary  .society.  It  appears  that  one  day 
•some  roasted  rabbits  were  .served,  but  the  unsophisti- 
cated New  Zealanders  took  them  for  cats,  and  refused 
to  (at  them.  The  younger,  not  content  with  the 
rehisal,  and  with  the  imiiscretion  of  his  age,  burst  out 
with  the  following  candid  confession  :  "  New  Zealander 
eatec  hog,  him  eatee  dog,  him  ealee  rat,  him  eatee 
(M-eeper"  (biting  his  arm  like  a  dog  to  imh'cate  a  scaich 
for  a  flea),  "  him  eatee  warrior  and  old  woman,  but  him 
no  eatee  et'ss." 

Two  months  later  he  is  writing  to  Thornton  on  the 
nnportance  of  bringing  about  an  union  between  the  two 
Church  missionary  societies— the  C.M.S,  and  the  S.P.G. 
—and  dejiloring  "that  hateful  spirit  of  party  which  at 
present,  unhajipiiy,  divides,  and  will,  I  fear,  continue  to 
divide,  the  Church."  Not  content  with  this,  he  ad- 
dresses a  long  letter  to  one  of  the  bishops  on  the  subject, 
pointing  out  that  at  a  recent  meeting  of  a  local  mis- 
sionary society  at  Shrewsbury  he  had  suggested  some 
scheme  for  union,  and  found  that  members  were  not 
hostile  to  the  plan.  Nothing  came,  however,  of  these 
attempts  to  economise  the  labour  of  organising  funds 
and  workers  for  a  common  cau.se. 

It  may  be  mentioned  here  that  in  the  following  year 
(1.S19)  a  Royal  Letter  was  issued,  authorising  collec- 
tions to  be  made  in  every  church  and  chnpel  to  aid  the 
work  of  the  S.P.G.  in  India  and  the  East.  Hel)cr  went 
to  Wrexham  to  hear  his  father-in-law,  the  Dean  of 
St.  Asaph,  preach,  and  it  was  on  this  occasion  that  Iv 
wrote  the  well-known  hymn,  "  From  Greenland's  icy 
mountains."  This  was  first  sung  in  the  fine  old  church 
at  that  place. 

On  Christmas  Eve  1818  the  Ilebcrs  lost  their  little 
daughter—their  first  child— who  was  only  six  months 
old.     It  was  a  great  and  long-felt  grief.     Mrs,  Heber 


li 


M 


•ViS 

■   . 

. 

1 

I  GO 


KKdIN'ALl)   IIEliEK. 


has  left  it  on  record  that  after  this  loss  her  husband's 
evening  prayer  usually  ended  with  the  iK'tition  that  he 
might,  at  his  last  hour,  be  found  worthy  to  rejoin  his 
sinless  child. 

In  December  1 8 19  we  find  him  thanking  the  Committee 
of  the  Travellers'  Club  for  the  undoubted  honour  they 
paid  him  in  electing  him  an  Honorary  Member.  Heber 
was,  for  at  least  the  ten  years  following,  one  of  four 
Englishmen  on  whom  this  honour  had  been  conferred. 
His  travels  in  Europe,  the  joui^Jial  he  had  compiled, 
the  way  in  which  he  had  maintained  his  interest  and 
added  to  his  experience  year  by  year,  by  studying  and 
inquiring,  and  the  articles  he  had  contributed  to  the 
Oitartcrly  Rcvii'w  and  other  papers,  had  all,  singly  and 
cumulatively,  k-ft  their  mark,  and  this  was  one  of  the 
many  pleasant  ways  in  which  otlier  people  recognised 
those  iacts. 

In  1820  he  attended  Commemoration  at  Oxford,  and 
enjoyed  the  rare  privilege  of  hearing  his  "  Palestine  " 
performed  as  an  oratorio  in  the  same  building  in  which 
lie  had  recited  it  seventeen  years  before.  It  was 
during  this  year,  too,  that  he  began  to  throw  the 
hymns,  which  he  had  been  gradually  collecting  from 
all  sources,  into  something  like  book  shape.  lie  was 
very  anxious  to  obtain  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury's 
sanction,  as  well  as  that  of  the  Bishop  of  London  (Dr. 
Howley),  for  the  general  use  of  the  volume  in  churches, 
and  much  correspondence  ensued  on  the  subject. 
Milman  helped  him  with  many  hymns,  but  the  book 
was  finally  produced  without  any  special  imprimatur. 
In  the  early  autumn  of  the  next  year  he  was  working 
hard  in  support  of  his  brother's  candidature  as  Member 
for  the  University  of  Oxford.  The  contest  ended  in 
Richard  Heber's  success.  It  may  be  noted  that 
Reginald  was  opposed  to  his  brother's  policy  and  that 
of  the  University  in  hostility  to  any  scheme  of  Catholic 
emancipation. 

In   1822  he  himself  was  a  candidate  for  a  different 
kind    of  appointment— the    Preachership   at    Lincoln's 


. 


THE   COUNTRY    PARSON. 


lor 


Inn  ;  and  in  April  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  be 
fleeted.  Writing  to  Thornton,  he  explained  his  motives 
for  seeking  this  eoveted  pieee  of  preferment,  as  arising 
partly  from  a  consciousness  that  he  could  be  useful 
in  such  a  sphere,  and  partly  from  a  desire  to  sec  more 
of  his  old  friends  during  the  term  of  residence  the 
appointment  imposed. 

15ut  he  was  not  to  hold  this  desirable  office  long. 
On  December  2nd.  1822,  Charles  W.  Williams  Wynn, 
a  close  personal  friend,  and  at  that  time  President 
of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Indian  Affairs, 
wrote  to  him,  referring  to  the  recent  death  of  Bishop 
Middleton  of  Calcutta,  and  asking  him,  in  confidence, 
to  allow  his  name  to  be  recommended  for  the  appoint- 
ment. Heber  replied  by  wishing  for  a  little  time  to 
consider  the  matter,  unless  one  of  the  archdeacons 
or  chaplains  already  in  India  had  been  considered 
eligible,  for  in  that  case  he  would  desire  to  be  passed 
over.  Wynn  replied  that  there  were  none,  and  Ileber 
forthwith  consulted  two  physicians  as  to  the  possible 
influence  of  the  climate  on  his  child's  health — another 
little  girl  had  been  born  tr  them — and  on  receiving 
an  adverse  opinion  he  declin^  .  the  appointment.  This 
was  on  January  2nd,  1823.  Exactly  five  days  latei', 
however,  he  wrote  again  to  Mr.  Williams  Wynn,  and 
mentioned  having  heard,  through  a  friend,  of  a  clever 
doctor  long  resident  in  India.  He  was  anxious  to 
consult  this  man,  and  he  asked  that  if  the  appoint- 
ment had  not  already  been  made  would  his  friend 
keep  it  open  for  a  few  days  longer.  On  the  iith 
he  again  wrote,  saying  that  the  report  of  the  Indian 
doctor  was  not  so  favourable  as  to  induce  him  to  alter 
his  decision.  Yet  the  very  next  day  he  again  wrote, 
and  said  that  if  by  any  chance  the  opportunity  was  not 
closed  he  would  accept  it  gratefully.  Williams  Wynn 
replied  that  the  bishopric  was  his,  and  that  he  would 
write  the  next  day  to  the  King  at  Brighton  for  his 
ap]:)robation.  Finally,  on  the  1  Sth,  he  writes  to  I  leber  : 
"  The   King    has    rctmncd    his   entire   approbation    of 


:  n 


, ;  H 


yi 


'  «!  ■ 


f '  1 1 


102 


REGINALD   IIEDER. 


I 


your  appointment  to  Calcutta,  and  if  1  could  only  divide 
you,  so  as  to  leave  one  in  England  and  send  the  other 
to  India,  it  would  also  have  mine  ;  but  the  die  is  now 
cast,  and  we  must  not  look  at  any  side  but  that  which 
stands  uppermost." 

This  bare  recital  of  the  main  jKMnts  in  the  ofler  of 
the  See  of  Calcutta  to  Hcbcr,  and  his  ultimate  acceptance 
of  it,  will  show,  perhaps,  the  strange  struggle  that  he 
passed  through.  Undoubtedly  the  real  difficulty  was 
his  child's  weakly  constitution,  and  the  natural  objection 
of  the  mother  to  be  separated  from  her  only  child.  But 
as  her  father,  the  Dean  of  St.  Asaph,  undertook  to  care 
for  the  child  should  the  climate  pi-ove  injurious,  a  happy 
way  out  of  the  difficulty  was  found.  Fi-om  the  letters 
that  I  leber  wrote  at  this  time,  one  cannot  help  seeing 
that  he  was  all  through  in  favour  of  going.  He  had 
long  taken  interest  in  missionary  matters,  and  he  hoped 
to  be  able  at  any  rate  to  do  some  good  in  reconciling 
as  far  as  possible  the  C.M.S.  and  S.P.G.,— the  differences 
between  these  societies  being  a  very  real  trouble  to  the 
Indian  Church.  Nevertheless,  had  it  been  possible  to 
elect  a  man  already  in  the  diocese,  and  experienced  in 
matters  Indian,  it  is  clear  that  he  would  have  refused. 
The  p{;5,ooo  per  annum,  with  a  pension  of  p/^'i.SOO  per 
annum  after  fifteen  years'  service,  weighed  a  little,  but 
not  much,  with  him.  Ilodnet  and  the  Preachership 
brought  in  a  handsome  income,  and  there  was  every 
probability  of  further  preferment  if  he  stayed  in  England. 
He  felt  that  he  could  organise  and  conciliate;  his 
emotional  nature  drew  him  to  the  East  and  the  heathen  ; 
and  although  he  endeavoured  to  compare  his  probable 
"  comparative  usefulness  "  in  India  or  in  England,  his 
interest  in  India  and  love  of  work  led  him  toward 
Calcutta. 

Some  of  his  letters  at  this  critical  period  are  very 
interesting.  The  Rev.  J.  J.  Blunt— to  be  widely  known 
afterwards  by  his  literary  work — was  then  his  curate, 
and  received  a  letter  of  great  kindness  announcing  the 
news.    A  letter,  too,  went  to  the  parish  clerk  at  Ilodnet. 


THE   COUNTRY    PARSON. 


103 


Another  went  to  the  Bishop  of  Oxford,  who  liad  corre- 
sponded with  him  for  some  two  or  three  years,  and  a 
reply  came  back  mentioning  that  both  he  and  the 
Fellows  of  All  Souls  desired  to  hang  a  portrait  of  their 
old  companion  in  tl'^ir  hall.  Heber  consented,  and  tells 
his  wife  that  hie.  '  ■  'her  advises  his  sitting  to  Phillips, 
"  as  beine  far  le^  tedious  and  but  little  inferior  to 
Lawrence." 

The  Vice-Chancellor  asked  for  a  farewell  sermon  to 
the  University,  and  the  Bishop  of  Oxford  secured  his 
having  the  degrees  of  B.D.  and  D.D.  conferred  on  him 
without  the  usual  fees.  Amid  all  the  bustle  and 
excitement  which  the  new  step  naturally  occasioned  he 
felt  the  departure  from  Hodnet  very  keenly.  Writing 
to  Augustus  Hare,  his  wife's  cousin,  he  dwells^  on  his 
approaching  departure  with  great  feeling.  But  in  look- 
ing forward  with  fortitude  he  found  an  admirable  ally 
and  helpmeet  in  his  wife.  She  had  realised— perhaps 
more  than  he — all  that  the  acceptance  of  this  Indian 
post  would  shut  them  out  of;  but  Emily  Ileber  was  a 
courageous  woman,  and  when  her  mind  was  once  con- 
vinced she  was  even  more  resolute  than  he. 

On  April  22nd  he  left  Hodnet,  and  on  reaching  the 
high  range  near  Newport  he  looked  back,  and  in  a  sudden 
outburst  of  grief  exclaimed  that  he  would  return  to  it 
no  more.  Without  knowing  it,  he  prophesied.  Then  he 
went  to  Oxford  for  a  few  days,  and  finally  to  London. 
He  was  consecrated  on  June  ist,  and  then  resigned 
Hodnet  in  favour  of  his  sister's  husband,  the  Rev. 
C.  C.  Cholmondeley.  On  the  eve  of  his  consecration 
he  had  performed  his  last  pastoral  office  by  writing  to 
a  parishioner  a  long  and  earnest  letter,  begging  him  to 
endeavour  to  combat  his  besetting  sin— indulgence  in 
liquor.  Then  he  turned  his  face  towards  his  new 
duties,  and,  having  written  a  letter  of  tender  farewell  to 
his  mother  on  June  15th,  he  set  sail  for  India  on  the 
following  day. 


:i 


i 


CHAPTER    V, 


LITERARY    I.IFF. 

ALTHOUGH  Hebcr's  literary  life  did  not  come  to 
an  end  with  his  acceptance  of  the  bishopric  of 
Calcutta,  the  great  bulk  of  his  literary  engagements 
was  of  necessity  at  once  and,  as  it  turned  out,  for  ever 
abandoned.  Up  to  this  time  he  had  produced  much 
regular  work  for  the  Oiiarieyly  Reviciv  and  other  pub- 
lications, which  he  was  now  compelled  to  give  up.  The 
few  years  of  life  which  were  left  to  him  were  to  be 
exhausted  in  episcopal  missionary  labours,  and  such 
literature  as  he  produced  was  incidental  to  these.  It 
will  be  correct  then,  as  well  as  convenient,  if  this  break 
in  his  life  be  selected  as  the  opportunity  for  reviewing 
the  literary  part  that  Heber  played. 

It  would  be  easy  to  go  back  almost  to  the  days  of 
childhood  to  find  the  first  evidence  of  his  literary 
powers  and  sympathies.  As  this,  however,  has  been 
dealt  with  in  the  chapter  on  his  early  years,  it  will  be 
better  to  begin  from  the  close  of  his  undergraduate 
days. 

Of  course  the  most  considerable  amount  of  writing 
which  he  first  did  was  the  journal  of  his  travels  in 
Europe.  This  was  not  published  during  his  lifetime, 
and   when    his  widow  incorporated  it    in    her   memoir 

104 


LITKRARV   LIFE. 


105 


'i3C*r 


of  him  she  did  not  give  it  complete.  The  style  of  the 
juuiiial  was  rather  inconsistent,  for  at  times  it  was  as 
laboured  as  at  other  times  it  was  spontaneously  bright. 
It  ma}'^  be  said  at  once  that  Ileber's  style  is  not  that 
which  is  now  in  vogue.  The  tendency  of  the  modern 
fashion  in  literature  is  to  simplify  everything ;  to  write 
in  short  clear  sentences;  to  use  simple  and  familiar 
words ;  and  to  be  as  bright  and  direct  in  our  thoughts 
as  we  strive  to  be  clean-cut  in  our  style.  It  is 
undoubtedly  the  right  fashion.  It  was  set  us  by  the 
Elizabethan  writers,  and  by  those  of  the  earlier  part 
of  the  eighteenth  century.  But  as  that  centur}'  grew 
apace  Latinity  became  the  rage,  and  we  have  the 
terrific  sentences  and  reverberant  phrases  which,  from 
their  greatest  exponent,  have  since  been  known  as 
"  Johnsonese."  With  Wordsworth  and  Coleridge, 
Keats  and  Lamb,  a  happier  turn  came  to  men's  words, 
and,  aided  by  the  long,  laborious  life  of  Tennyson, 
who  carried  their  efforts  in  simplicity  of  expression  to 
what  we  call  perfection,  it  is  now  fairly  established 
that,  if  our  material  be  really  good,  simplicity  of  form 
is  not  only  sufficient  but  capable  of  stimulating  the 
highest  art.  It  was  unfortunate  that  Ileber  should 
have  been  born  and  bred  at  a  time  when  the  general 
taste  in  literature  had  dropped  to  a  low  level.  The 
books  he  read,  the  sermons  he  heard,  the  speech  of 
the  people  among  whom  he  lived,  were  couched  in 
language  which  was  rather  elaborate  than  simple, 
artificial  than  natural ;  it  drew  its  words  by  preference 
from  Latin,  and  the  Saxon  of  Shakespeare's  English 
was  entirely  out  of  vogue,  if,  then,  one  feels  a  suspicion 
of  weariness  in  reading  his  articles  in  the  Quarterly^ 
it  should  be  remembered  that  he  wrote  in  the  language 
of  the  people  he  desired  to  reach.  This  language  was 
not  of  necessity  his ;  it  was  the  literary,  the  learned 
language  of  the  day.  Indeed,  I  would  go  so  far  as 
to  sa}^  that  Heber,  whose  simpleness  of  mind  and 
transparent  honesty  of  motive  were  among  his  leading 
characteristics,  would  have  chosen  the  simple  in  prefer- 


■  t 

I 
t 
J 

li 


'  r 


io6 


KEGINALD   ITEBEU. 


1  > 


III 


ence  to  the  so-called  " learned"  style  had  he  written  less 
of  purely  literary  and  scholarly  subjects.  While  one 
must  not  forget  that  even  in  the  age  of  a  Johnson  a 
Gilbert  White  could  be  born  to  immortality,  it  is  also 
necessary  to  remember  that  the  sul)ject  greatly  dominates 
the  style.  You  will  scarcely  be  flippant  if  you  write 
of  sacred  things  ;  and  you  would  not  intentionally  select 
the  style  of  the  Schoolman  when  you  write  of  the 
running  brook.  This  principle  Heber  illustrates.  When 
we  read  one  of  his  village  sermons  we  are  at  once 
struck  by  the  difference  of  the  style  from  that  of  his 
reviews  in  the  Oitartcrly. 

But  while  there  are  styles  rnid  styles,  there  is  but^ 
one  canon  of  criticism  lor  all  styles.  Command  of 
any  defined  style  is  itself,  on  critical  grounds,  laudable  : 
whether  you  sing  in  syllables  or  polysyllables  ;  whether 
a  spade  is  "  a  spade  "  or  "  an  agricultural  implement ;  " 
whether  a  Ruskin  invests  a  noble  theme  with  noble 
words,  or  a  Kipling  sets  down  in  lifelike  coarseness 
the  mere  vulgarities  of  Tommy  Atkins.  For  if  the 
terms  employed  be  proper  to  their  subject,  if  the 
epithets  be  just,  the  syntax  not  only  correct  but  so 
orderly  as  to  be  balanced,  and  yet  so  variously  ordered 
as  not  to  be  monotonous  or  unduly  rhythmical,  and  if 
the  arrangement  and  sequence  of  the  matter  be  in 
true  perspective— then  the  style  cannot  be  condemiied 
on  the  score  of  inherent  worthlessness.  It  may  strike 
one  generation  as  pedantic,  and  another  as  ponderous, 
and  a  third  as  affected,  and  a  fourth  as  coarse,  for  this 
is  a  matter  of  fashion  ;  but  there  can  be  little  question 
that  it  satisfied  the  demands  of  criticism.  For  criticism 
of  style  does  not  deal  with  matter,  but  with  form. 

Vv^hen  we  pass  io  the  next  question,  and  ask  our- 
selves not  how  Ileber  said  his  message,  but  tvhat 
message  he  had  to  say,  we  arrive  on  safer  ground. 
This  is  ascertainable  with  a  degree  of  accuracy  which 
does  not  distinguisli  it  from  solid  fact,  for  of  course  we 
gather  his  ideas  and  views,  the  teaching  he  offered,  and 
the  knowledge  he  defined,  from  the  actual  text  of  his 


LITERARY   LIFE. 


107 


writings.  To  summarise  these  in  a  paragrapli  would 
not  only  deprive  them  of  any  interest  they  may  have 
for  us,  but  would  almost  cei'tainly  be  misleading-.  For 
the  story,  however,  of  his  literary  life  and  work  it  will 
be  both  eas}'  and  interesting  to  find  for  ourselves 
what  is  best  for  each  of  us  in  the  legacy  he  wrote 
ior  all. 

On  his  return  to  Oxford,  after  his  extended  travels 
in  Europe,  lleber  had  sufficient  leisure  for  attempting 
literature.  It  is  natural  that  the  attempt  was  soon 
made.  lie  had  always  been  a  great  reader — almost 
an  omnivorous  reader — and  in  the  direction  of  romance, 
])oetry,  and  history  a  persistent  student.  But,  as  with 
many  of  Oxford's  distinguished  sons,  his  earlier  efforts 
were  largely  humorous  and  satiri(~al.  1  le  contributed 
at  this  period  a  number  of  amusing  sketches  to  that 
most  venerable  journal,  the  Gciit/cDinn's  Mdgaiiiw. 
After  the  fashion  of  the  day,  he  sent  various  queries  to 
its  pages.  But  they  were  usually  of  an  absurd  cha- 
lacter,  and  he  answered  them  himself  in  the  next  issue 
with  a  great  show  of  reality.  One  of  these  queries 
was  supposed  to  emanate  from  **  Clericus  Leicestren- 
sis,"  and  asked  for  full  information  as  tc  the  remedy  for 
tiie  depredations  of  a  certain  insect  which  conceuii-ated 
its  attention  on  spinach;  and  lleber  replied  at  length 
and  with  great  seiuousness  as  to  the  proper  remedial 
measures — the  insect,  the  ravages,  and  the  remedy 
all  being  pui'tly  imaginary.  At  another  time  there 
ajipeared  a  sonnet  on  the  death  of  a  certain  Lieutenant 

l^hilip    V ,   who  was  killed    at    the   siege  of   Fort 

Muzzaboo  on  the  St.  Lawrence  :  the  last  line  is  famous — 

"And  Maratlion  shall  yield  to  Muzzaboo"  — 

but  the  fort  and  the  siege  and  the  lieutenant  were  all 
fiction.  Yet  a  gentleman  actually  sent  £$  to  Sylvanus 
Urban  for  the  writer  of  the  poem,  so  pleased  was  he  to 
hear  that  his  nephew  Philip  V (who  had  been  miss- 
ing for  years)  had  died  with  honour  to  himself  and  his 
country  1     His  Homeric  poem  on  the  county  ball  at  the 


vM 


loS 


RKC.INAT.I)    HEr.KR. 


"Hen  and  Cliirkens,"  Binninghani,  has  already  been 
rt'fcMTcd  to  ;  but  it  drsrrvfs  to  be  read  not  only  for  the 
luiiiiour  of  the  Greek,  but  the  wit  of  the  I.atiii  notes 
appended.  These,  however,  would  be  out  of  place  in  a 
book  intended  foi"  "popular"  circulation. 

When  in  the  sunnner  of  1806  he  reached  Dresden, 
he  found  that  town  in  the  state  of  excitement  which  the 
marching  of  troops  to  meet  the  French  would  be  likely 
to  arouse.  With  the  clash  of  arms  in  his  (\'u"s,  he 
began  the  poem  which  in  1809  he  published  under  the 
title  of  "Europe."  It  is  spirited  and  suggestive,  but  it 
may  be  mentioned  in  passing  that  the  prophecy  regard- 
ing Spain — though  confirmed  as  to  political  events — has 
not  yet  become  true  as  to  religious  matters. 

Early  in  this  year  we  find  him  thinking  of  the 
Quarterly  Revicii\  then  about  to  be  started,  lie  writes 
to  his  friend  Thornton,  asking  him  to  secure  recruits  for 
the  Review,  *'  in  which  several  of  our  conmion  friends 
are  likely  to  be  engaged,  and  which  may  serve  to  set 
some  limits  to  the  despotic  authority  of  the  Edi'iibtiri^liJ' 
I  le  adds  that  he  is  waiting  for  the  appearance  of  the 
first  number  before  he  finally  consents  to  work  for  it. 
This  consent  he  soon  gave,  and  in  the  same  year 
contributed  the  review  on  Robert  Kerr  Porter's  "  Tra- 
velling Sketches  in  Russia  and  Sweden."  Commenting 
on  the  poem  on  Talavera  in  the  same  number,  he  says 
that  "  it  is  very  spirited,  and  only  unfortunate  in  being 
necessarily  compared  with  Scott ;  the  author  is  under- 
stood to  be  Mr.  Croker."  And  he  adds:  "The  best 
article,  I  think,  in  the  Revieiv  is  the  critique  on  Parr, 
which,  both  in  wit,  taste,  and  good  sense,  is  superior  to 
almost  everything  of  Jeffery's."  At  the  same  time  we 
hear  that  his  religious  muse  is  silent.  "In  summer 
when  I  walked  in  green  fields,  or  sat  under  shady  trees, 
such  fancies  oiten  came  into  my  head  ;  now,  I  have 
unpacked  six  boxes  of  old  divinity,  and  am  otherwise 
employed." 

in    preparing    his    travels    "in     Europe,    Asia,    and 
Africa,"   published   in    18 10,   the   well-known   traveller 


LITERARY   LIKK 


109 


-has 


Edward    Clarke    made    great    use    of    Ileber's    MS. 
journa     ;.  the  section  devoted  to  Russia.     Ileber  also 
placed  at  his  disposal   many  of  the  careful  sketches  he 
had  made  in  that  country.    Clarke  himself  wrote  in  the 
preface    to    that  work:  "In    addition    to    Mr.   Ileber's 
habitual    accuracy    may    be    mentioned    the    statistical 
information,    which    stamps    a    peculiar   value    on    his 
observations;  this  has  enriched  the  volume    by  com- 
munications   the   author   himself  was    incompetent    to 
supply."     Writing    of  the  review  of  this  work  which 
appeared  in  the  (Jitaiicrly,  Ileber  says:  "I  agree  with 
y<Hi  in  thinking  that  my  Russian  notes  are  made  more 
conspicuous  in"  the  Quarterly  Reviav  of  Clarke's  travels 
than  the  proportion  they  bear  to  the  rest  of  the  work 
would  lead  one  to  expect.     You  will  not  wonder,  how- 
ever, that  he  himself  should  b'-  treated  coolly,  when  I 
tell  you  that  the  reviewer  is  a  staunch  Muscovite,  and 
an    'old    courtier   of    the    Queen's'    during    the    most 
splendid  days  of  Catherine."     Later  on  we  hear  how 
vexed    he  is  at  the   way  in   which  Dealtry  had   been 
handled,  and  he  explains  that  "  Giflford  probably  knew 
nothing  of  Dealtry  ;  but  he  has  been  ere  this  mlormcd 
as  to  ins  real  character  and  attainments,  which,  though 
the  past  is  irretrievable,  will  serve  as  a  caution  in  future." 
In   August    1810  he  asks  Wilmot :  "How  do  you 
like    the    'Lady   of    the    Lake'?     Her    boat    had    not 
tt.uched  the  strand,  I  think,  when  we  parted  last."     He 
was  a  great    admirer  of  Scott;  and   a  little   later   he 
tells  Thornton  that  he  is  hard  at  work  reviewing  ior 
the   Oimrtcrlv  Thomas  Thornton's   "  Present  State   oi_ 
Turkey."     Early  in    181 1   he  writes  in  great  praise  ot 
Southey's   "Curse  of  Kehama,"-  -" on   the   whole,  the 
iinest  thing  which  Southey  has  yet  produced;"  and  he 
asks  his  wife,  who  is  going  on  a  journey,  to  take  the 
book  with   her  in   the   carriage.     The    review  of  this 
work  in  the  Quarterly  was  attributed  to  him,  but  it  was 
really  written  by  Scott.     In  May  of  the  same  year  he 
tells' Wilmot  that  he  has  "the  most  perplexing  and  the 
least  satisfactory  job  on  my  hands  which  I  ever  embarked 


.11 


no 


UKCIINALI)    IIIor.KK. 


t  I 


m  J 


in  since  I  trriiislatcd  Sprctatois  into  Lnliii  tn|-  missing 
Chapel  at  r)ra/en  Nose."  Tliis  was  an  article  on 
I'imiar,  tlu'  occasion  being  iountl  by  a  small  volume 
of  translations  recently  publislied.  This  and  other 
work,  he  says,  "make  a  better  plea  for  his  not  writing 
to  friends  than  that  of  the  Cambridge  man  who,  when 
asked  in  what  pursuit  he  was  then  engaged,  replied 
that  *  he  was  diligently  employed  in  suffering  his  hair 
to  grow.' " 

Jn  f8ii  and  i(Si2  T/ic  Chris/ in n  Observer  conta'mvd  a. 
number  of  hymns  which  Ileber  had  written  on  various 
occasions.  A  portion  of  the  prefatory  notice  which  !ie 
wrote  to  accompany  their  publication  may  be  quoted  here 
as  showing  their  purpose  and  his  views  on  hymnody, 
and  at  the  same  time  affording  an  interesting  little 
glimpse  of  what  was  the  Church  practice  of  the 
day. 

"The  following  hymns  are  part  of  an  intended  scries, 
appropriate  to  the  Sundays  and  principal  holy  days  of 
the  year,  connected  in  some  degree  with  their  particular 
Collects  and  Gospels,  and  designed  to  be  sung  between 
the  Nicene  Creed  and  the  sermon.  The  effect  of  an 
arrangement  of  this  kind,  though  only  partially  adopted, 
is  very  striking  in  the  Romish  liturgy  ;  and  its  place 
should  seem  to  be  imperfectly  supplied  by  a  few  verses 
of  the  Psalms,  entirely  unconnected  with  the  peculiar 
devotions  of  the  day,  and  selected  at  the  discretion  of 
a  clerk  or  organist.  ...  In  one  respect,  at  least,  he 
hopes  the  following  poems  will  not  be  found  repre- 
hensible ;  no  fulsome  or  indecorous  language  has  been 
knowingly  adopted;  no  erotic  addresses  to  Him  whom 
no  unclean  lips  can  approach  ;  no  allegory,  ill  under- 
stood and  worse  ajiplied.  .  .  .  When  our  .Saviour  was 
on  earth,  and  in  great  humility  conversant  with  man- 
kind ;  when  He  sat  at  the  table,  and  washed  the  feet, 
and  healed  the  diseases  of  His  creatures  ;  yet  did  not 
His  disciples  give  Him  anv  more  fam.iliar  name  th':n 
Master  or  Lord  And  now,  at  the  right  hand  of  His 
Father's  Majesty,  shall  we  address  Him  vvitli  ditties  of 


LITKRAKV   LIFK. 


Ill 


embrace  and  passion,  or  in  lanKuagt;  which  it  woiikl  be 
disgraceful  in  an  earthly  sovereign  to  endure  ?  " 

In    iSi2    he    began   a   nio^it   elaborate   work,  winch 
eventually  b-.d  to  be  abandoned— the  Dictionary  of  the 
Bible.     Hul  during  the  whole  time  he  was  at  llodnet 
he  worked  at  it,  am!  it  came  to  be  one  of  his  favourite 
occupations,     lie  mentioned    some  time  after  that  the 
shortness  of  each  article,  and  the   fact  that  he  coulil 
often  take  up  the  work  for  a  little  time  and  then  jnit 
it  asidg  again,  tempted   him    to   work  on  it  when    his 
engagements  i)revented  him  from  undertaking  subjects 
requiring  more  continued  thought  and  labour.     In  the 
same  year,  too,  he  published  a  small  volume  of  poems, 
containing  those    already  published,  some  translations 
he  had  made  from  Pindar  when  writing  the  article  lor 
the  OiiarUrly,  and  a  few  new  poems.     Messrs.  Long- 
man^&  Rees  published  this  volume  of  collected  verse. 
This  year  also  saw  the  beginning—  none  saw  the  com- 
pletion—of his  Morte  d' Arthur.     He  was  very  fond, 
it  may   be    mentioned  here,   of   Keltic   music,  and  his 
poems    were    often    composed    to    some    favourite    or 
iainiliar  Welsh  tune. 

Writing  to  Wilmot  in  this  year,  when  stayuig  at 
Harrogate  for  his  health,  we  find  the  following  piece 
of  literary  curiosity  :  "  You  have,  1  conclude,  got  ac- 
quainted with  your  cousin.  Lord  Byron,  of  whom,  I 
entreat  you  by  your  father's  beard  and  your  own  right 
hand,  to  send  me  a  full  and  impartial  account."  He 
had  Mways  admired  Byron.  Five  years  earlier  he  had 
quoted  with  fervour  that  "cherub  of  the  southern 
breeze,"  and  four  years  later  he  writes  :  *'  How  do  you 
like  the  new  '  Childe  Harold'?  I  think  the  beginning 
tolerable  ;  the  end  very  fine  indeed  ;  the  middle  'party 
per  pale '  (to  use  the  heraldic  term)  very  good  and  very 
prosaic  and  inharmonious." 

In  December  i8i2  he  is  "a  good  deal  vexed  with 
Giflford."  Poor  man  !  like  many  another  editor,  he  had 
only  postponed  a  review  of  the  •'  Last  Years  of  the  Reign 
of  Gustavus  Adolphus  the  Fourth,  late  King  of  Sweden  " 


113 


Ul'.C.INALI)    IIKUKK. 


«  1 

tl 


to  thf  next  number.      IIcIki-  had  woikcd  hard  to  get 
tl       n  yii  w  done   in    tiiiu' ;    but   our  sympathy  on  this 
"^i^       is  Willi  the  editor.      However,  the  coiUiibutor 
i,  Kit  consolation  in  working  at  a  descriptive  poem 

Oil  -'Til  De.sert"— a  Njrt  of  picture  of  wild  nature  in 
all  parts  ■  if  the  world,  where  Cossacks  and  Mohawks, 
Israelites  and  La|/landeis,  all  have  a  turn  ;  and  Giflbrd 
psks  him  to  write  an  article  on  the  Cossacks.  This 
novpr  appoaretl,  for  the  subject  gradually  developed  to 
Hijrh  lengths  that  it  became  .a  "  1  listory  of  the  Cossacks," 
wliir**  his  call  to  bidia  pi  •  nted  his  finishing.  Hut 
he  wjote  an  article  on  Matiame  de  Stael's  work  on 
Cermany  in  the  Quarterly  a  year  later.  It  was  attri- 
buted to  some  one  else  ;  I  leber  himself  said  :  *'  1  desired 
Murrav  and  Gilford,  for  obvious  reasons,  not  to  name 
the  author;  why  they  have  attributed  it  to  a  'young 
lawyer 'the  father  of  t:o;/a'(7////f«/ (for  1  will  not  use  a 
harsher  word)  only  knows." 

'i'hat  it  pleased  Madame  de  Stael  is  certain.  She 
said  to  a  friend  that  of  all  the  reviews  on  her  work 
•'  this  was  the  only  one  which  had  raised  her  opinion 
of  the  talent  and  acquirements  of  the  English." 

In  the  year  1815,  he  preached  the  Bampton  lecture? 
before  the  University  of  ()xf(»rd,  and  the.se  were 
published  in  the  year  following,  dedicated  to  Lord 
Grenville,  then  Chancellor  of  the  University.  The 
publication  did  not  pass  unnoticed.  A  writer  in  the 
British  Critic,  a  clergyman  of  the  name  of  Nolan, 
attacked  him  for  his  heterodoxy  in  the  issues  of 
December  1 8 16  and  January  18 17.  Heber,  though 
greatly  disliking  controversy,  published  a  reply  which 
was  considered  at  the  time  to  be  unanswerable ;  at  any 
rate,  his  critic  found  only  a  small  portion  of  it  available 
for  subsequent  criticism. 

Some  versifications  of  German  and  Eastern  poems 
were  made  at  this  time,  but  there  is  nothing  to  call 
for  special  notice.  His  verse  was  always  elegant,  but 
much  of  it  was  preserved  without  careful  icvisiori, 
and  found  its  way  into  print  afterwards,  when  Hebrr 


^"(P3!'*i 


MTl'RAUV   Mil;. 


"3 


|)r<)l)al)ly  had  liltl''  tiiiu-  for  aUiiuliiig  to  it.  Reviewing 
Sir  Joliii  Malcolm's  •*  Persia"  in  iSi6,  lie  refers  to  the 
death  of  Timour  iii  circuinstaiu't  s  wiiich  suL;{;ested,  as 
an  incomplete  parallel,  the  i( 'reat  from  Mosc(  ,  '.nd 
•'  Timour's  Conncils"  resulted  iVoni  this  leflecl.'  .;, 

In  the  Auf;  ist  of  that  ytar  he  put  this  postscript  in 
a  letter  to  hi.^^  friend  Hay: — "Murray  has  sent  nie  a 
copy  of  a  glorious  poiiii  by  Mihiian  on  the  fall  of 
jciusalem,  which  he  wishes  nw  to  revii  \\'  innnediately. 
1  have  looked  at  some  jxirts  and  l)t(  n  delighted  with  it," 
The  review  duly  appeared,  anil  helped  to  contribute 
to  the  great  poj^ularity  which  came  to  that  poem.  "  As 
being  almost  exclusively  laudatory,"  the  reviewer  con- 
fess(  d  he  found  it  difficult  to  dt>,  and  not  satisfying 
when  done. 

Among  the  more  serious  occupations  of  his  literary 
lifr,  Ileber  was  able  and  willing,  at  times,  to  indulge 
in  the  lighter  vein.  We  have  seen  how  at  Oxford  he 
was  not  innocent  of  the  satirical  e(Tusit)ns  that  we 
expect  from  the  undergraduate  with  a  taste  for  verse, 
and  now,  in  his  maturer  years,  he  could  be  persuaded 
to  lend  his  pen  to  the  uses  of  social  enjoyment. 
Among  these  "Masques"  and  efforts,  suggested  un- 
doubtedly by  friends  and  festivities  rather  than  by  Liae 
Muse  (even  in  the  guise  she  wore't(j  Milton  when  he 
wrote  L'Allegro),  we  may  perhaps  place  "The  Masque 
of  Gwendolen  "  as  the  most  conspicuous.  .Some  of  the 
passages  are  simple  and  charming,  as  the  following 
verse  from  the  song  to  the  Sea  Nymphs  will  show:  — 

"NympliH  of  .nir  ami  aiiciciit  sea, 
Hi itlal  gifts  \\c  bring  to  thee ! 
I.o,  tliesc  plumes  of  rich  device, 
Pluck'd  from   birds  of  paradise! 
Lo,  these  drops  of  tssencc  rare, 
Siiook  from  a  wand'ring  meteor's  hair  ! 
Nymphs  of  air  and  ancient  sea, 
biieli  the  gifts  vvc  bring  to  thee  ! " 

At  tliat  time  there  was  no  such  thing  as  cheap  and 
good  literature.  The  Government  regarded  literaturt.^ 
and  journalism   as   lawful   prey,   and  taxed  paper  and 

8 


m 


114 


REGINALD    IIEl'.ER. 


printer    and   publisher  uitliin    an   nich   of  tlicir    hvcs. 
Still,  it  began   to  be   thought  by  those  who   had  the 
interests  of  the  poor  at  he  art,  that,   in  spite_  of  these 
imposts  nn  the  diffusing  of  knowledge,  soniethuig  nugh 
vet  be  done.     Among  those  who  thought  and  worked 
for  this  was  Ilcber,  and  he  writes  to  his  friend   I  lay 
in  1817  that  it  is  a  great  misfortune  that  the  poor  man 
who  wants   to    read    can   find   so   few   books  of  good 
qualitv   within    his    means.     The    wholesome^    appetite 
for  reading    he   could  satisfy  with  plenty  of  rubbish 
and  plenty,  too,  of  controversial  and  banally  political 
.pamphlets;  but  if  his  appetite  were  wholesome  and  keen 
lor  good  sound  instructive  books,  he  stood  a  very  lair 
ehance  of  starving.     "  This  evil,"  said  Heber,    ;  is  no 
met  by  the  usual  distribution  of  tracts  by  the  different 
religious  societies,  since  their  works  are  not  read  as 
amusement ;    and    therefore,   though   they    may  some- 
times correct   the  evil  of  a  blasphemous  or  seditious 
publicaticn,  do  not   come   in  instead  ot  such   a   work. 
Mrs    Hannah   More's  repository,   to  a  certain  extent, 
answered    this    object  ;    but    an    abridgment    of    some- 
historical  books,  of  the  Lives  of  the  Admirals,  ^outhey  s 
Nelson,  Hume's  History,  etc.,  would,  1  think,  be  of  still 
greater  advantage  if  a   society  could   be   instituted   to 
print  them  in  numbers,  so  cheap  as  to   make  it  more 
worth  the  while    of   the    hawkers    to    sell    them    than 
Paine's  -Age  of  Reason,'  etc.,  which  1  believe  they  now 
do  sell  to  a  greater  amount  than  is  generally  supposed. 
Such  a  society  was  eventually  founded,  and  for  a  con- 
siderable period  carried  on  this  very  work. 

On  the  periodical  journeys  which  his  appointment  to 
a  prebendary's  stall"  in  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Asaph 
required  him  to  make-  on  horseback-he  frequently 
composed  songs  and  other  poems  ;  more  or  less  sug- 
gested by  the  incidents  or  impressions  of  his  journeys. 
One  familiar  song,  for  example,  is  called  "The  Spring 
lourney,"  and  another  is  the  "  Carol  lor  May-Day. 
The  concluding  verse  of  the  latter  will  show  him  ni  a 
happy  vein  :— 


LITERARY    LIFE.  115 

"  Floiks  on  the  inoiintaiiis, 

And  birds  upon  their  spray, 
Tree,  turf,  and  fountains, 

All  hold  holy  day : 
And  love,  the  life  of  living  things 
Love  waves  his  torch,  love  claps  his  wing-i 
And  loud  and  wide  thy  praises  sings, 

Thou  merry  month  of  May." 

In  September  1 817  he  wrote  the  review  on  Southey's 
"History  of  the  Brazils,"  which  appeared  in  the 
Oiiar/er/v ;  and  in  the  same  month  he  writes  of  the 
editor  of  that  review  :  "  Poor  Gifford  has,  1  fear,  been 
dismally  ill.  What  is  to  become  of  the  Onarterly  when 
he  goes?"  But  Gifford  was  to  recover,  and  Ileber 
very  soon  afterwards  contributed  an  article  intended 
to  show — what  subsequent  events  have  been  calcu- 
lated to  disprove— that  Russia  had  not  the  intentions 
against  British  supremacy  in  the  East  and  elsewhere 
which  a  certain  class  of  politicians  began  to  suspect. 
The  curious  will  find  his  arguments  set  forth  with  his 
usual  lucidity  under  the  title  of  "A  Sketch  of  the 
Military  and  Political   Power  of  Russia  in    1817." 

Writing,  on  behalf  of  Gifford,  to  a  clergyman  anxious 
to  contribute  to  the  Review,  we  find  this  interesting 
little  piece  of  information  about  the  editorial  conduct  : 
"It  is  fair  to  tell  you  beforehand  that  Gifford  claims 
the  privilege,  and  exercises  it  with  very  little  ceremony, 
of  either  rejecting  or  curtailing  the  articles  sent  to 
him." 

To  the  death  of  his  firstborn  in  18 19  we  may  trace 
the  origin  of  the  well-known  hymn    "  Thou  art  gone 


to    the    grave,' 


the    lilt    and    refrain    of  which    were 


subsequently  adopted  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Turner  ni^his 
memorial  verses  of  the  Bishop.  Writing  to  the  Rev. 
T.  E.  S.  Hornby,  he  mentions  that  some  years  betore 
he  had  thought  of  writing  "  a  sort  of  epic  poem  on 
the  subject  of  Arthur,"  and  more  recently  contemplated 
something  of  like  extent  on  the  subject  of  Montgomery's 
"World  before  the  Flood."  Neither  came  to  anythmg 
beyond  a   fragment.     As   the  year  went  on,  he  wrote 


n6 


UKC.INAU)   UEl'.KR, 


nn  article  on  Kinneir's  Travels  (comparing  them  with 
Rcnncrs  Retreat  of  the  Ten  Thousand),  and  a  second 
on  a  il^vv  translation -llunt's-of  Tasso.  Moreover, 
he  is  ^ry  busy  in  collecting  and  arrangmg  h)S  hymns 
whch  says  he,  "now  that  1  have  got  them  together 
r  in  to  ha-e  some  High  Church  scruples  agamst 
usmi  n  public."      His  scruples  we,-e  to  be  overcoim. 

'•he  occasion  of  his  writing  the  famous  hy"-.  ""^ 

Greenland's  lev  Mountains,"  was  a  sermon  p. cached  by 
Heb"'      tather-in-law.    Uean    Shipley,    u.    a,d    o t    t he 
Society   for  the  Propagation  ol   the  Gospel    on  W h  t- 
Sundav    1 8 1 9,  in  the  parish  church  of  Wrcxhan  .      1  he 
Dea    hid  asked  hin>  on  the  previous  day  to  write  some 
hymn  appropriate  to  the  occasion,  and  the  story  goes 
ifat    leber  there  and  then  wrote  the  verses  now'  amd.ai 
to  us   al       The    origiiual  manuscript  was  m  the  pos- 
^s^i^^f  Mr.  Thomas  Stamford  RaHles  unt^l- ^^^t 
death    and  it  came  to  him  irom  his  iathei    the  late  Kcv 
Sas  Rafiles,    D.D.     The  latter  obtamed  jt  Irom  a 
Wrrxh-un  resident  in  183O.     It  ^^^■  "i^y  accept  the  nai- 
^^t^ve  o     l^d.-cu.nstances  under  which  thehymn  xvas 
V     ten   these  fan>ous  verses  were  strictly  n.proiuptu 
md  will  reveal,  perhaps,  more  than  any -^^ -:^- 
1    can   bring,   a    spontaneity    which   could   scaiecly  Dc 
omu;  in  a  writer  who  was  not  both  ^l-l^-^  J^^^f ;-  / 
A   visit  to   Seacome,   m    the    summer   of  the  >eai, 
a  Ae  his  Muse.     "  The  Outward  Bound  Ship     belongs 

'''  llilcl' was  not  only  busy  in  writing  matter  which 
^vas  tended  for  publication,  but  he  was  always  mo.e 
o'es  consulted  by  a  wide  circle  of  friends  and  acquanU- 
nnces  on  points  of  criticism,  advice  as  to  books,  and 
hehi  in  the  study  of  theology.  Many  letters  are  ex  ant 
wWch  si  ow  us^hat  in  these  private  communicatu^ns 
he  w^s  1  o  less  careful  in  his  method  and  polished  in 
is  manner  than  when  writing  for  the  Ona,ia-Iy.  A  perusal 

nsiiuuiuu    .  ,, 1.....,,...   i,,arlc    thr  nrcsent  writer    to 

nt   man^ 


wonder  at 


JI       lllUSU        H_l.LV_l.J        1^...^..-         1 

all  the  work  which  he  managed  to  getthrougli, 


an 


,d  to   estimate    something    o 


f  the  loss,    in    innueiice 


LITKl^AUV    I-IFl'-. 


I  I 


^nd  literature-,  wlmh  his  rcmovnl  to  Calcutta  must  havt- 
""  s'd  here  is  on.  later  iu  existence:  u,  wluch  he 
wu"  a  careful  criticisn,  of  Seo.fs  "  °-;  ,,^' ™ ':(, 
exteiulin-  to  some  seven  tliousand  woids,  foi  the  single 

'■^■Tl"i;iTtr'cnd"of   ,8,9   I-e  began  the    work    of 
cdi  in"    1  e  fi  St  eompleto  and  eollectcd  edition  of  Jeremy 
ryir-    works.     The  edition  was  to  be  coutamed     n 
fourte.  n  or  fifteen  handsome  octavo  volun  es        i  lebi 
"".':  write  a  life  and  a  critical  cs=ay  ;  and    he  port.a 
of  1.  remv  Taylor   that  hung  m  the  hall  ol  AH  bonis 
1;  to  rcng?aved  as  a  frontispiece.     His  fr.cnd  John 
Talb  ^t  c*t:  ned  for  hi,n  a  good  deal   of    mformat.on 
lout'-Mor's  descendants   in  l'-'-^^, -«  ,,^^trpn 
sent  him  "  a  curious  and  cl^'-  "--",-  dpu 


si'-iit 


of  some  notes    which  he  has  at 


;i;S  „  'Time     ;'ri  ten  oir-raylor."     One  difijculty  be 

In     with   regard   to   the   descendants   was  the   great 

umbe    who  laid  claim  to  this  distinction  w.tbout  any 

ans  of  establishing  it ;  and  ^"f^-^^^Z^":^. 

,>r material  for  the  Life.  In  a  letter  to  Wilmot  he  sa}S  . 
-Mhavi  had  from  Ireland  a  very  enriousandn.terestmg 
packet  of  details  concerning  Jeren.y  Taylor,  such  as  1.. 
S^ng  married  a  natural  daughter  ot  CharlestheLn'stS 
:  n  1    other   particulars  not    previously    known  1  he 

1  shop  of  Oxford  (who  was  also  Warden  of  All  Souls- 
S^  Colteg^^^  ent  him  information  as  to  the  election 
of  Urvt  clK°ne  to  a  fellowship,  about  which  there  was 
1  fcc^troversy,  the  fellowship  finally  being  allowed 
t"  ipse  to  please  a  Church  dignitary,  and  other  pai- 
kuh^^of  \l  residence  there.    Meneage  Legge  provKlc 

drawing  from  which  the  engraving  ot  the  portia  t 
vasma  e  There  was  another  matter  which,  with  the 
:Ss;:it-of  Lord  Teignmouth,  he  -as  able^to  dear  up 
-the  source  of  that  well-known  parab  e  ot  Abiahaiu 
ancUhe  fi  e-worshipper,  which  Taylor,  who  tells  ,  in  s 
^Ubenyof  Prophesying;'  said  '-  '-^^  f  j-' ,    ;;;  ^ 

Jews'  books."     Franldin  -b^^-^^^     ^^  J^  '     X.  Ins 
style  of  Scripture,  and  this,  peihaps,  ..<  ip-  -       i- 


m 


it8 


KKC.lNALl)    11F.IM:R. 


il'i 
i', 

I' 

:    ( 

!i    I 


the  popular  version.  It  is  so  IxMutiful  that  the  writer, 
at  the  risk  of  occupying  space  much  needed  for  Ilcber's 
own  work,  do;s  not  liesitate  to  quote  it  here. 

"And    it    came    to    pass,    after    these    things,    that 


^..yryy^-^  iwi-wy  j:Ji»*»rr  •^■■p,^  vpiV>m'^VilW"  "f ' 


''-■«**. 


.--/ 


-/• 


^.  .*  ----i..^ 


n. 


■:/,, 


''   •     l-V    ...      -ff'     .A,"«, 


/■,^^, 


J  /■4»</ 


/^«    /?C<  i^<:. 


•--r^.j/j.    />, 


J-V-~>**   '         L.-*'>--» 


U^-.:... 


'in.u...  z:/^...,^..  /!>fc,  ;y 


'  '-'•<>     i'>^!f,rt  »-/ 


/^(f^ij-    /r// 


/ 


6,': 


•,,'    •-'.' 


4. 


J  A, 


A-*.      /_*' 


y/ 


'A.     A'.I'^-d^.—. 


'7/., 


-'? 


'  K.M^„    ^ 


fi^^tJU. 


.  ^^t 


^tr-z^i 


a;  .^ti;j. 


/^  {•  ir?  <flL^t,~x^    i^ 


t 


'-«■-  ,  f. 


//_#-T?<U.     >/<!••«-.*-»'      /3.0L* 


i-^l.Cf^'     i^-i'---f  ^ ^>,^    /h-v* 


C*-li^<oSIi?Ca 


/C  V.       £^      ^X-*w 


<f-< 


!yi(-«_.  ..(^^^^C*  iff^rCf-jH. 


-t/ 


-''^^ — — , 


'*.-  <■ 


lAC-siMii.i:  iiF   riii:  original 


P 


/!y  /mni.rsi.Ji!  oj 


Abraham  sat  in  the  door  of  his  tent,  about  the  going 


down  of  the  sun, 


and  beheld  a  man,  bent  witli  age 


&>'-> 


wa}^  of  the  wilderness,  leaning  on  a 
stafi';  "an J  Abraham  arose  and  met  him,  and  said  unto 


coming  from   tiie 


1 


10  writer, 
■  Ilcbcr's 

igs,    that 


the  going 

with   age, 

ling  on  a 

said  unto 


LITERARY  LIKE. 


119 


him    'Turn   in,    I   r'-ay  tliee,  and   wash   thy   feet,  and 
tan'y  all  night  J  and  thou  shalt  arise  early  m  the  morn- 

inj 
I 


irrv  all  night  ;  and  thou  sliait  arise  eauj^  lu  ..-  ■"^^y 
and  go  on  thy  way.'     And  the  man  said,  '  Nay  ;  lo 
will   abide   under  this   tree.'     But  Abraham   pressed 


f/,^.4!t^  t^^Ct-*»~ 


V*^ 


ry 


,^j.  jfA,^'>  /-' 


r  »-<  Jt  •  •-- 


t^_» 


/, 


Z-n 


'  ^-.V  6 


h 


.         •  .,1.  -■  V 


;\^-; 


J-,^- 


J^   •"'^ 


L 


MS.    OF    lir.liEKS    HYMN. 


T.  S.   KAFI  Lrs,  Hso. 


him  o-reatly  ;  so  he  turned,  and  they  went  in  ^nto  the 

e    .     And  Abraham  baked  unleavened  bread,  and  they 

did  eat      And  when  Abraham  saw  that  the  man  bles  ed 


not  God,  he  said  unto  him, 


Wherefore  dust  thou  not 


m 


I 


'4f 


I    r 


120 


Ri'.riiXAT.T)  iii'.r.r.R. 


li 


»  i 


worsliip  tlic  most  liiii,!!  God,  Creator  of  hfavon  and 
eai'th  ?  '  And  the  man  answcivd  and  said,  '1  do  not 
woiship  thy  Ciod,  ntitlicr  do  1  call  njion  His  name  ;  for 
1  have  niatlc  unto  mysilf  a  .uod  which  ahidcth  always 
in  mine  house,  and  provideth  me  with  all  things.'  And 
Ahraham's  zeal  was  kindled  against  the  man  ;  and  he 
arose  and  fell  uix)n  him,  and  drove  him  forth  with 
hlows  into  the  wilderness.  And  God  called  unto 
Abraham,  saying,  *  Abraham,  where  is  the  stranger  ? ' 
And  Abraham  answered  and  said,  *  Lord,  he  would  not 
worship  Thee,  neither  would  lie  call  upon  Thy  name  ; 
therefore  have  1  di'iven  him  before  my  face  into  the 
wilderness.'  And  God  said,  'i  have  borne  with  him 
these  hundred  and  ninety  years,  and  nourished  him 
and  clothed  him,  notwithstanding  his  rebellion  against 
and   couldst  not  thou,  who  art  thyself  a  sinner, 


M( 

bear  with  him  one  night  ?  ' " 

In  April  1 822  the  work  was  published,  and  received 


•al. 


witti  unanmious  approvr 

Tiie  year  before  this  big  undertaking — of  wliich,  like 
other  authors,  he  confessed  to  grow  weary  toward  the 
hnish— was  thus  brought  to  an  end,  he  had  published 
in    the    Oitartt'rly   a    review    of   Southey's    "  Life    of 
Wesley."     His    attitude    toward    that    w^onderful    man 
may  be  summed  up  in  his  own  words — the  biographer 
would  be  happy  indeed  who  could  write  a  Life  which 
should    be  largely  autobiographical  :    "  It   is  no   easy 
matter   to  give   Wesley   his    clue   praise,   at  the    same 
time  that  1  am  to  distinguish  all  that  was  blamable  in 
his  conduct  and   doctrines  ;  and   it  is  a  very  difficult 
matter  indeed  to  write  on  such  a  subject  at  all  without 
offending  one  or  both  of  the  two  fiercest  and  foolishest 
parties  that  ever  divided  a  Church,  the  High  Churchmen 
and  the  ICvangelicals."     And  yet  the  writer  of  Heber's 
Life    in    that    monumental    w^ork    the    "  Dictionary    of 
National   biography"  calls  the  Bishop  a  High  Church- 
man !     All  that  llebcr  wrote  and  did  went  to  prove  the 
contrary,  or,  rather,  the  negative  :  he  was  essentially  a 
"no-party  "  man. 


I,ITERARV   T.IFE. 


121 


wn  and 
I  d(i  not 
nie  ;  for 
1  always 
x'  And 
and  h(^ 
rth  with 
E'd  unto 
•anger  ? ' 
ould  not 
y  name  ; 
into  the 
vith  him 
lied  him 
I  airainst 
I  sinner, 

received 

lich,  like 
,vard  the 
)ublished 
'Life    of 
•fill    man 
ographer 
ife  whicli 
no   easy 
he   same 
imable  in 
'  difficult 
1  without 
foolishest 
uu'chmen 
^  Heber's 
onar}'    of 
I  Church- 
prove  the 
entiall}'  a 


lie  WMS  now  woi 


king  Steadily   at  the    collection  of 


hvnms  for  use  in  public  service, 


At  that  tnn(> 


there 


was  not  such  a  thing  as  a  body  of  hymnody  that  could 
be  so  useil.      Ken's  morning  and  evenuig  hymns  were 
artainly  much  sung,  and  on  the  occasion  ot  "chanty 
sermons"    some    more    or    less    suitable    verses    were 
usually  given  out.     But  there  were  few  good  hymns, 
simple  and  reverent,  that  could  be  readily  employed  ior 
services.      Ileber  himself   told  the   Bishop  of    London 
(l)r    llowlev)  that  when  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  was 
installed  as  Chancellor  at  Cambridge  he  heard  a  hymn 
suno-  to  the  apparent  approval  of  an  august  and  learned 
auchence,  "a  poem  in  the  style  of  Darwin,  m  which  the 
passion  llower  was  described  as  a  virgin,  devoting  her- 
self to   religion,   attended   by  as  many  youths   as  the 
plant    has    .stamina."     Milman    was    helping    him    by 
actually    writing    as    well    as    searching    for    suitable 
hvnuis-  Walter  Scott  and   Robert  Southey  were  also 
eontrlbuting  to  the  collection.     For  the  first  time  some 
attempt  was  made  to  provide   for  the  chief  Christian 
seasons— for  Advent,  Christmas,  the  Passion,   Laster, 
and  for  the  days  set  apart  as  memorials  of  Christians 
(ininent    for    saintliness    or    suffering.     Milman    wrote 
hvmns  for   Advent,   Good  Friday,  Palm  Sunday,  and 
other    occasions.       Scott's    imitation    of    the    Roman 
"Dies  Irse"  was    also  included;    it  was  preferred   to 
a  version  sent  him  bv  his  old  friend  Sir  Robert  Harry 
Ino-lis     as    being    more    suited    for  English    congrega- 
tionai'singing,  "though  less  full  and  faithful,  and  less 

poetical." 

In  November  1822  the  following  note  comes  as  a 
contribution  to  the  history  of  the  classic  Qitarlnly. 
"  Among  the  possible  conductors  of  the  Quarterly  hrvunv, 
a  name  has  just  occurred  to  me  which  1  cannot  help 
thinking  very  likely  to  answer.  It  is  that  ot  Lockhart 
the  .son-in-law  of  Walter  Scott,  and  the  author  of 
•Peter's  Letters,'  which  are  written  with  abundant 
talent  and  caustic  humour.  ...  As  his  princijiles  are 
-'-cidedly  Tory,  he  may  be  very  useful  at  tiie  present 


V 


i'\ 


122  RKC.INAI.I)    ni:i'.F.K. 

moment."  At  this  time  he  was  liard  at  work  on  a 
review  on  tiie  "  IJlack  IJook,"  a  volume  whieli  made  a 
great  stir  at  the  time  owing  to  its  severe  sti'ictures  on 
the  corruption  of  the  clergy  and  their  inonlinate  riches. 
With  tlu'  help  of  his  friends  Mr.  Williams  Wynn, 
Mr.  Vansittai't,  and  others,  he  ohtained  a  great  mass 
of  oflicial  returns  of  income  tax,  tithes,  etc.,  and  had 
almost  completed  a  most  exhaustive  article  en  the 
revenues  of  the  English  Church  at  that  jieriod,  when 
his  accejitance  of  the  See  of  Calcutta  brought  his  literary 
work,  with  the  single  exception  of  his  "Journal  in 
India,"  to  a  conclusion.  Fortunately,  the  article  has 
been  preserved,  and  forms,  for  those  who  are  in- 
terested in  the  condition  of  the  Church  at  the  be- 
ginning of  this  century,  a  most  important  and  valuable 
authority. 

Perhaps  the  best  conclusion  to  this  chapter  will  be 
found  in  some  verses  from  Southey's  poem,  suggested 
by  the  portrait  of  his  old  friend  :  — 

" Devotedly  iic  went, 

Forsaking  friends  and  kin, 
Us  own  loved  paths  of  pleasantness  and  peace, 

Books,  leisure,  privacy, 
Frospcets  (and  not  remote)  of  all  wherewith 
Authority  could  dignify  desert; 
And,   dearer  far  to  liini, 
Pursuits  that  with  the  learned  and   the  wise 
Should   have  assured   his  name  its  lasting  place. 

O  Reginald,  one  course 

Our  studies,  and  our  thoughts, 

Our  aspirations  held ; 
Wherein,  but  mostly  in  this  blessed   hope, 
We  hatl  a  bond  of  union,  closely  knit 
In  spirit,  though  in  this  world's  wilderness 

Apart  our  lots  were  cast. 
Scltlom  we  met;  but  I  knew  well 
'I'iiat  whatsoe'er  this  never  idle  hand 

Sent  forth  would  find  with  thee 
Benign  acceptance,  to  its  full  desert. 
For  thou  wert  of  that  audienei',  .   .  .  fit,  though   few, 

For  whom   I  am  content 

To  live  laborious  days, 
Assured  that  after  years  will  ratify 

Their  honourable  award.' 


rk  on   a 
made  a 
turcs  on 
c  riches, 
Wyiin, 
>at  mass 
antl   had 
(  n    the 
d,  when 
■;  literary 
unial    in 
tide   has 
are    i  li- 
the   be- 
vakiable 


TRAVF.LLING    ON, THE    GANGES. 


•  will  be 

Liggested 


cc, 


:c. 


gli  few, 


CHAPTER   VI. 
Tin:  BisnorRic  of  Calcutta. 

IN  1823,  when  Heber  was  appointed  the  second 
Bishop' of  Calcntta,  that  diocese  was  so  immense 
that  no  man  could  hope  to  adminiscer  it  thoroughly. 
It  was  overwork  which  killed  Bishop  Middleton,  and 
overwork  carried  Ileber  off  in  the  xcvy  prime  ot  life. 
It  not  only  embraced  the  whole  of  the  vast  peninsula 
of  India  then  accessible  to  the  English,  but  it  also 
included  the  Crown  colony  of  Ceylon,  the  continent 
of  Australia,  and  the  colonies  of  Tasmania  and  New 
Zealand.  And,  as  if  this  were  not  enough  to  dismay 
the  most  sanguine,  there  were  added  the  Mauritius, 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  Madeira.  These  last, 
however,  lay  on  the  sea-route  to  India,  and  might  be 
visited  at  long  intervals  by  the  Bishop  when  going  to 
England  and  returning  to  his  Eastern  dioc   ..._ 

Heber's  Indian  career  began  and  ended  during  the 
Governor-Generalship  of  Lord  Amherst,  a  man  socially 
agreeable,  butundnubtedlvonc  of  the  lenst  distinguished 
of  our  rulers  of   India.  '  The  first    Burmah   war,    the 

123 


124 


lil'.CINAI,!)    Iir.I'.l'.K. 


i  I 


!■. 


siicoessful    storming'    oC    Dlmrtpnr    Ccliicfly    important 
li(raiis(>    our    Indian    {neinits    liclicvccl    that    foi't 


rcss 


imprcj^Miablc),  and  the  drclai-ation  at  Delhi  of  our  su 


pr 


niary  over  tlit-  Muf^liul  Knipcror,  were  the  three  land- 
ks  of  his  reign,      lie  was  perhaps  unfortunate   ii 


nun 

succeeding  so  great  a  statesman  as  Lord  Hastings,  and 
in  being  followed  by  so  successful  an  administrator  as 
Loitl  William  Biiitinck. 

Hriefiy,  the  British  possessions  in  India  at  this  pciicd 
embraced  the  whole  of  the  Ganges  valley,  practically 
the  whole  of  the  eastern  and  a  large  part  of  the  west.rli 
coast,  and,  with  the  exception  of  Mysore  and  'J'ravan- 
core,  the  whole  of  the  peninsula  south  of  a  line  drawn 
from  Cioa,  on  the  west,  to  the  Godaveri  on  the  cast. 
In  addition  to  this,  the  subsidiary  and  "  protected"  states, 
where  our  influence  was  dominant,  includet'  Oudh, 
Gujerat,  the  great  states  in  the  southern-central  pro- 
vinces, and  Mysore  and  Travancore  in  the  south.  The 
Punjab,  Rajpootana,  Malwah,  and  Berar  were  still 
indipendent.  To  put  it  concisely,  if  roughly,  we  may  be 
said  to  have  penetrated  in  the  north  to  the  Sutl(  j— the 
frontier  of  Lahore — and  wedged  our  way  in  between 
the  wild  tribes  of  the  Himalayan  Mountains  and  those 
of  a  belt  of  an  average  width  of  four  hundred  miles, 
which  stretched  in  a  south-easterly  direction  from  the 
Indus  to  within  one  hundred  miles  of  the  Bay  of  Bengal ; 
while,  south  of  this  belt,  we  were  masters  of  the  entire 
country.  At  the  same  time  many  distri  •;;-;  in  our 
immediate  control,  as  well  as  under  our  protection,  were 
still  in  a  ti-oubled  state,  and  great  care  had  to  be  taken 
not  to  unduly  excite  popular  indignation  as  well  as  the 
suspicions  and  jealousies  of  dynasties.  In  particular, 
it  was  dangerous  to  interfere  with  the  public  per- 
formance of  religious  rites,  bai'barous  though  some  of 
these  were.  But  as  our  rule  grew  in  power,  and 
became,  in  more  rcsjionsible  hands,  less  corrupt,  we 
were  found  strong  enough  to  interfere  even  with  these. 
This,  hcnvever,  was  aftei-  lleber's  day.  It  was  left  to 
Lord   William    Bentinck   to  suppress   sii/fcc — the    self- 


Tin:  insiK^i'KU'  OF  Calcutta. 


12i 


important 
fortress 
ur  suprc- 
rco  laiul- 
tunatc  in 
ings,  and 
itratoi"  as 

lis  period 
ractically 
.'  west.  Ill 
1  'Jravan- 
ne  drawn 
the  east, 
d"  states, 
('  Oudh, 
itral  pro- 
th.  The 
'ere  still 
'0  may  he 
itl(  i— th(^ 

l)etw((  n 
ind  those 
cd  miles, 

from  the 
f  Bengal ; 
;he  entire 
■;  in  our 
ion,  were 

be  taken 
ell  as  the 
(articular, 
iblic   per- 

some  of 
iver,  and 
Tupt,  we 
th  these. 
IS  left  to 
the    self- 


destruction  of  widows  on  their  husbands'  funend  pile — 
and  /////A'i'''''.  the  wholesale  robbery  and  murder  which 
lluir  fanatical  religion  imposed  upon  the  t/in^s. 

ileberreaclud  Calcutta  on  the  lOtli  of  October,  1823, 
and  immediately  found  himself  not  only  in  a  very 
strange  scene  and  among  strangei-s,  but  also  face  to 
face  with  an  enormous  fiuantity  of  woik  which  had 
accumulated  during  the  jjcriod  which  had  elapsed  since 
r,ishop  Middleton's  death.  At  that  time  there  was 
no  official  residence  ;  and  while  his  friend  Williams 
Wynn  was  making  arrangiimnts  in  England  for  this 
and  other  conveniences,  the  Bishoj)  was  indebted  to  the 
CioveriU)r-C'.eneral  and  others  for  the  loan  of  houses 
that  could  be  spared.  I'hus,  on  his  first  arrival  in 
Calcutta,  he  was  accommodated  in  a  building  which 
had  at  one  time  been  the  Government  1  louse. 

One  of  the  lirst  matters  to  recpiire  his  attention  was 
an     unseemly    squabble    between    the    Archdeacon    <)f 
Tjombay  and  one  of  the  chaplains  there.     V>y  the  exercise 
of  conciliatory  measures,  by  grea.t  luitience,  and  showing 
liersonal  anxiety  on  his  own  part,  the  Bishop  was  able  to 
bring  this  to  a  .satislactory  conclusit.n;  only,  liowever,  to 
be  confronted  with  another  of  somewhat  similar  natun.'. 
We  mav  suppose  that  under  the  vice-episcopal  govern- 
ment ot"  the  archdeacons,  during  the  inter-episcopate, 
.some  of  the   senior  chaplains   had  got  a  little   out   ot 
hand,  and  that  the.se  and  two  or  three  other  outbreaks 
of  an  unfortunate  spirit  of  indiscipline  were,  under  the 
circumstances,  only  human  and  natural.     In  following 
very    closely    the    lengthy    correspondence    which    the 
Bishop  entered  into  with  the  various  parties  to  these 
disagreements,    one    is    strongly   impressed    with    the 
laborious  care  and  the  honesty  of  motive  therein  made 
evident ;  and  it  may  here  be  said,  once  ibr  all,  that  in 
every   hitch    or  difiiculty  that  arose   during  his  short 
episcopate    he    bestowed    an   amount    of  learning  and 
labour,    moderation    and    tact,   which    account   for   the 
otherwise  almost   inexplicable    enthusiasm    he    created 
wherever  he  went,  and  the  cxtiaordinary  outburst  ol 


% 


ill 


I 


126 


KICINAI.I)    IIKI'.KU 


H 


t  i 


sympathy  and  sorrow  which  his  suckliii  and  (  aiiy  diath 
called  out.  No  man,  one  feels  sate  in  assertinj,;;,  ever 
mad  •  so  ^i-(>at  a  mark  ujion  India  in  so  short  a  tiiiu-. 
llis  o|)i)ortiniities  were  lew,  hul  he  utilised  eviry  sinj;Ie 
ehanre  that  came  in  his  way  to  the  very  utmost  of  his 
undoubti'd  power.  Yet  it  is  less  to  that  power — of 
inu  llict  or  of  initiative  that  his  success  was  due  than 
to  the  wise  ami  temperate  counsels  that  proceeded  from 
motives  of  singular  honesty  and  a  high  sense  of  con- 
ciliation. 'IVmpend  though  the  latter  was  by  I'igjd 
adherence  to  the  pi-inciple  he  believed  the  light  one,  he 
was  fortunate  in  never  making  an  enemy.  i\nd  that 
much  of  the  success  which  attc  nckcl  these  C(unsi'ls  arosr 
from  the  soberness  and  lucidity  of  thought  which  his 
peculiar  piiparation  in  Knglantl  had  engendtrcd  maybe 
gathered  from  the  remark  of  one  who  said  that  though 
he  was  seldom  sili  lit,  he  never  heard  him  speak  without 
Wondering  at  the  aptness  and  wisdom  of  his  remarks. 

At  this  period  the  Christian  agencies  in  Iiulia  were 
somewhat  divided  in  aims,  and,  in  certain  cases,  rather 
unfortunately  diverse  in  their  methods,  in  the  first 
place,  there  were  the  chajilains  provided  for  the 
"ghostly  comfort"  of  the  ICnglish  in  India,  'i1ie.se 
men,  though  few- — tin  were  onl}'  twenty-eight 
appointed  to  IJengal  at  that  time,  and  more  than  half 
that  number  on  furlough  ! — were  sujiposed  to  be 
superior  to  the  others.  Certainly,  in  point  of  material 
position,  they  held  the  lead  by  a  long  way.  I'heir 
salaries  were  much  larger,  their  jK'iisions  far  more 
secure  and  easily  gaiiied  ;  and  by  their  official  associa- 
tion with  the  ruling  class  they  were  in  possession  of 
more  influence  than  the  missionaries.  Of  the  latter, 
thofjc  sent  out  by  the  Society  for  i'romotiiig  Christian 
Knowledge  were  the  more  numerous,  but  closely  touch- 
ing them  were  the  emissaries  of  the  Society  for  Pro- 
pagating the  Ciospel.  Inferior  in  numbers,  and  differing 
i'rom  the  Uvo  former  in  their  policy,  were  the  agents 
of  the  Church  Missionar}-  Societ}' ;  and  after  these, 
in  point  of  numbers  and  influence,  there  were  the  men 


'llli;    IlISIlolKH'    <>!■    <  Al.rn  TA. 


127 


uly  tlcath 
ting,  ever 
t  a  tiiiU'. 
ry  ssiiiKic 
oHt  of  his 
lower — of 
due  than 
.ileil  from 

L*    of  COll- 

I)y  rij;id 
it  one,  he 
And  that 
■iels  arose 
vhich  his 
d  may  be 
•It  tlioui^h 
k  without 
■marks, 
uha  were 
L's,  rather 
the    first 

for  the 
.  Tliese 
nty-iight 
hail  haU' 
1     to     he 

material 
'.  Their 
far    more 

associa- 
ession  of 
rie  latter, 
Christian 
ly  touch- 

for  Pro- 
I  tlifferiiig 
le  agents 
L'r  these, 
:  the  men 


sen 


t  <»ut  by  various  Nonconforming  boiiits— many  of 

lluni  most  abli'  and  learned,  and  many  ot  them  shariuj; 

th  till'  other  Societies  the  di.-advantagis  of  a  young, 


wi 

inexperienced,  and  not  very  ahU:  />rrsoiiH(/. 

An  early  exercise  ol  Ileber's  epi.  .U|jal  power  brought 
a  (piestion   atVecting    the  Church  Missionary  Society's 
agents  to  a  hiad.     The  two  elder  Societies  ha''  placed 
their  men  under  liishoj)  Middleton  and  now  under  his 
successor.     They  hatl  In  in  licensed  and  ruled  in  much 
the  same  fashion  as  the   English  clergy.     Not  so  with 
the    Church    Missionary    Society.      1  kber,     however, 
obtained  the  opinion    u['  the  authoiities  as  to  the  law 
of    the    matter— whether    all    clergy    of   the    Knglisli 
Church   in   India  were  not  subject  to  the  Bishop— and 
obtained    undeniable    proof  in    support    of   the    hypo- 
thesis.     He    thin    called    a    meeting    of    the    Church 
Missionary     Society    branch    at    Calcutta.     The  cl(,rgy 
were,  with  one  exception,    in   favour  of  sulmiitting  to 
his    authority,  the  great  majority  of  the  laity  against 
it.      His   claim   was   linally   admitted  as  a   "bye-law," 
but  his  point  had  already  been  gained  by  the  voluntary 
adhesion  of  the  clergy.     It  is  important  to  note  this, 
however    brielly,   because    few   jKople    are   aware   that 
there  was  at  one  time  a  great  deal  of  ojipositiou  to  the 
introduction   into   India   of  episcopal    rule,      it   is   also 
useful    to    remember  that   one   of   Ileber's   motives  in 
making  missionaries  as  well  as  chai)lains  reciuire   his 
licence  for  leavi'  to  officiate,  was  to  i)lace  them  all,  as 
far  as  possible,  on  a  level.      Before  this  there  liad  been 
a    great   indifference    shown    by    the    chaplain    to    tlie 
missionary  ;  and  it  is  regrettable  that  the  latter  should 
have    soimtimes    retaliated    by    withholding    his    help. 
Indeed,  up  to  this  time,  there  had  been  so  clean  a  gap 
between  the  two  classes  that  the  officials  of  a  station, 
if  deprived    of   their    chaplain    by    death    or    absence, 
freiiuently  went  without  a   service   in  their  church  for 
a  year  and  more  together,  although,  ntar  by,  there  was 
an  luiglish  missionary  working  laboriously,  and  perhaps 
with  scant  success,  among  the  heathen  !     'I  hat  so  dis- 


11 


128 


luxiixALi)  iiki;i:r. 


1 1 


crcditahk'  a  state  (jf  things  was  br()Ui;ht  to  an  end  is  due 
to  this  action  ol"  Bishoi)  Mcber.  It  must  be  renienil)ered 
that  Bishop  Ah\ld!eton  had  been  unable  to  recognise 
the  Ciiurch  Missionary  Society  nn'ssions  at  all,  as  not 
being  subject  to  his  jurisdiction,  and  also,  that  many 
of  the  missionaries  sent  out  by  or  representing  any  of 
the  Societies  were  somewhat  uncultured  men.  We  "can 
therefore  undeistand  what  1  leber  means  by  writing  that 
they  "are  well  pleased  to  fnid  themselves  recognised 
as  regular  clergymen,  ar.d  treated  accordingly." 


MluiJiriSy:-:-;^Hf::;-'to^^ 


i^Sdiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiili^ 


Tin;    ORIGINAL    BUII.DIN(;S    OF    lUSllOp's    Cnu.KCK,    HOWKAII,     CMXU 


MA. 


Hie  next  matter  to  require  his  attention  was  the 
Bishop's  College  at  Calcutta — for  many  years  the  most 
important  educational  institution  in  India.  For  Bishop's 
College  was  not  a  mere  theological  school  ;  it  represented 
the  first  attempt  in  India  to  educate  the  Hindu  in 
•secular  as  well  as  religious  subjects.  It  was  the  pai'ent 
of  all  tliose  universities  and  colleges  which  are  now 
sjiread  over  that  great  country,  and  the  foster-nurse 
of  the  native  ministry,  t)f  what  one  might  call  the  Indian 
Church.  Yet  when  I  leber  arrived  in'Calcutta  Bishop's 
College  was  a  mere  she  II,  in  wliich  no  stndeiit  could 
be  fuuntl,  and  whose  principal  was  nut  yet  in  residence. 


cud  is  due 
Jiiicnibi  red 
)  recognise 

all,  as  not 
that  many 
tini^  any  ol' 
.  We  can 
writing  that 
recognised 


THE   BISHOPRIC  OF  CALCUTTA. 


129 


!,    c  \i.ce  rr.\. 

1  was  the 
.  the  most 
ir  Bishop's 
-■presented 
Hindu  in 
the  parent 
are  now 
ster-nurse 
:he  Indian 
L  Bishop's 
cut  could 
residence. 


The  College  owed  its  existence  to  Bishop  Middleton, 
its  upbringing  to  Bishop  Heber,  but  its  sustenance 
largely  to  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel.  In  18 19,  with  the  assistance  of  a  "Royal 
Letter,"  which  at  that  time  was  a  favourite  method  of 
obtaining  popular  support,  some  ;^50,000  had  been 
subscribed  in  England.  The  Society  for  Promoting 
Christian  Knowledge  and  the  Church  Missionary 
Society  each  gave  ^5,000  to  the  building  fund;  and 
the  latter  gave  ^1,000  annually  towards  its  maintenance. 
The  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  placed  ;{^2,ooo 
at  its  disposal  for  the  work  of  translating  the  Bible 
into  native  tongues.  Bishop  Middleton  himself  gave 
;{J"400,  besides  many  valuable  MSS.  and  some  five 
hundred  volumes  for  the  library.  Yet,  in  spite  of  all 
this  help,  the  money  raised  was  spent  in  an  absurdly 
lavish  manner,  and  the  College  made  very  slow  progress 
towards  completion.  The  very  style  in  which  it  was 
built,  Gothic  (and  of  a  debased  order),  was  totally  un- 
suited  to  the  climate  and  the  country,  though  doubtless 
recalling  the  seats  and  associations  of  learning  in  far- 
away England.  When  Heber  arrived,  the  grounds  of 
the  College  were  still  undrained  marshland,  with  wide, 
open  stagnant  pools  and  dense  jungle,  dangerous  to 
health.  Within  less  than  two  years  this  and  sixty 
additional  acres,  which  he  had  procured  for  the  College 
from  the  Government,  were  drained  and  laid  out.  On 
his  arrival  the  building  was  pushed  on  so  that  within 
a  few  months  Principal  Mill  and  the  tutors  could  move 
into  it ;  and  first  the  library  and  then  the  chapel  were 
finished.  For  these,  too,  he  raised  large  sums  of 
money.     The  purposes  fulfilled  were  four : — 

1.  A  thorough  educational  course  in  secular  subjects, 
including  English  ; 

2.  A  theological  training  for  natives  and  Europeans 
intending  to  become  schoolmasters,  catechists,  and 
clergymen  ; 

3.  A  place  for  the  translation  of  the  Scriptures  and 
Prayer  Book  into  native  languages ;  and 


no 


REGINALD   IIDISER. 


l! 


4    A   hostel   for  missionaries   arriving  and   staying 
in  Calcutta,  xvhile  awaiting  instructions,  and  the  hke. 
On  his  journeys  throughout  India  the  Bishop  never 
lost    an    opportunity    of  ]M-essing    the    claims    of    this 
Institution  ;  and  be-fore  his  episcopate  came  to  an  end 
the  College  was  in   full  work,  carrying   out  each   one 
of  the  purposes  for  which  it  had  been  founded      And 
not  only  this,  but  some  schools  in  other  parts  of  India 
had  been  founded  and  affiliated  to  it,  thus  showing  that 
the  ramifications  of  the  educational  system  which  subse- 
quently arose   were  not  beyond  the    thoughts  of    the 
wise  and  far-seeing  man  who  had  laboured  so  abun- 
dantly for  the  success  of  the  College. 

Nor  was  his  zeal  for  the  education  of  the  native  con- 
fined to  higher  branches  or  adults.    For  within  a  few 
months  of  his  reaching  Calcutta  he  had  enlisted  the  sup- 
port and  services  of  many  English  women  in  that  city  on 
L.half  of  the  native  girls.     He  got  much  help  from  the 
Europeans,  and  no  less  a  sum  than   twenty  thousand 
rupees  from  a  Hindu  gentleman.      A  grant    from  the 
Church  Missionary  Society  afforded  material  help  and 
very  soon,  under  the  able  administration  of  Mrs.  Wilson, 
to  whose  energy  and  acquaintance  with  native  languages 
the  initiative  was  due,  a  central  school,  with  a  group  of 
affiliated  schools,  was  successfully  organisc'd.     in   the 
central   school  native  teachers  were  trained   for  work 
in  the  other  schools.     At  first  it  was  difficult  to  find  a 
native  who  would  become  a  teacher.     At  the  end  of  a 
tew    ye-rs    nearly    thirty   women   were   being   trained 
Hindu    parents,    too,    were    even    asking    for   trained 
teachers  to  instruct  their  children  in  their  own  homes! 
It  must  be  remembered    that    these  schools  were   tor 
Hindus,    and    that    all    were   welcome,   whatever  their 
creed      The  first  thing  was  to  obtain  the  support  and 
the  confidence  of  the  i  lindu  parents.     After  that  it  was 
hoped  that  the  influence  of  the  teachers  would  leave  a 
feeling   of   friendliness    and   sympathy  for  Christianity 
■  ■  •        '   '  ■  might  not   bear  even   riper   fruit. 


ignt 
In   February    iB-M  we 


find  the  Bishop   speaking  of 


THE    r.ISIIOPRIC   OF   CALCUTTA. 


131 


1  Staying 
the  like. 

lop  never 
i  of  this 
to  an  end 
each  one 
led.  And 
;s  of  India 
nving  that 
ich  subsc- 
its  of  the 
so  abun- 

lativc  con- 
thin  a  few 
td  the  sup- 
hat  city  on 
p  from  the 
/  thousand 
t  from  the 
.1  help,  and 
rs.  Wilson, 

2  languages 
a  group  of 

■d.      In   the 
d  for  work 
lit  to  find  a 
le  end  of  a 
ng   trained, 
for    trained 
)wn  homes ! 
lis  were   for 
atever  their 
support  and 
1-  that  it  was 
ould  leave  a 
Christianity 
ler   fruit, 
speaking  of 


his  writing  with  difficulty,  owing  to  a  disorder  of 
the  eyes.  ^  The  birth  of  another  >  'lild  had  deprived 
him  for  a  while  of  what  he  calls  '  my  best,  and,  in 
confidential  matters,  my  only  secretary."  The  health 
of  Mrs.  Ileber  and  the  children,  it  may  be  said  here, 
was  a  continual  source  of  anxiety  to  him  throughout  his 
Indian  career— a  matter  which  would  not  be  surprising 
now,  but  in  those  days,  when  the  country  round  Calcutta 
was  far  less  drained  and  cultivated,  might  have  been 
almost  accepted  as  inevitable. 

In   lune  the  Bishop   set  apart   for  the  work  of  the 
Christian  ministry  the  first  native  yet  ordained.     This 
was   Christian   David,  who  was  a  native   of  Malabar, 
but  came  to  Calcutta  from  Ceylon,  where  he  had  been 
for  some  years  engaged  as  Catechist  (under  the  direc- 
tion   of  the    Society   for    Promoting  Christian    Know- 
ledge).    He  had  formerly  been   a   pupil   of  Schwartz, 
who    had    laboured   wiMi    such    success    in    Southern 
India.     Ileber  mentions  that  David  passed  his  exami- 
nation excellently,  and  gave  very  general  satisfaction. 
He  was  ordained  deacon  on  Ascension  Day,  and  made 
priest  on   the   ibllowing  Trinity  Sunday,  lodging  and 
working,     meanwhile,    at    Bishop's    College.       David 
subsequently  had  the  charge  of  a  mission  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Bhagalpur,    and    died  not  long  afterwards  of 
fever,  his   wife    following    him    to    the    grave   about  a 
month  later  from  the  same  disease.     He  was  evidently 
a  man  very  much  above  the   average  native  catechist 
in  point  of  intellectual  attainments  and  moral  steadfast- 
ness, and  it  is  a  little  regrettable  that  the  Bishop  should 
have  intervened  to  prevent  his  first  sermon  being  printed. 
In  those  days  Protestants   thought  nearly  as  much 
of  a  sermon  as  a  Hindu  did  of  his  idol,  and  it  was 
not    so   unusual  to   print  a  sermon   delivered   on  any 
noteworthy    occasion,    as   it    would    be    now.     Indeed, 
sermons  good,  bad,  and  indifferent,  were  printed  on  all 
sides,  and  at  every  opportunity.     David's  first  sermon 
after   ordination,    on    the    oth^M•   hand,    was    probably 
the  climax  of  a  long  and  highly  meritorious  course  of 


:■; 


132 


REGINALD   IIEBEK 


ii^ 


"b' 


from    many    Englishmen    in 
English  clergy, 


and  the 

not'  from  the  author  but 

Calcutta,    including    the 

It  was   one   of  the  very   few  oppor 


conduct,  sustained  with  singular  persistence 
desire  to  have  it  printed  came 


tunkies  which    Heber  (for    sound    reasons,   doubtless) 
seems  to  us  to  have  let  slip.  ,     „•  ,  , 

It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  the  Bishop,  who 
was  soon  appointed  a  Vice-President  of  the  Asiatic 
Society  in  Calcutta,  suggested  to  Mr.  Williams  Wynn 
the  device  afterwards  borne  by  the  Royal  Asiatic 
Society,  that  of  the  banyan  tree,  with  the  motto,  ;  Quot 
rami  tot  arbores."  The  branches,  though  flourishing 
and  grown  themselves  to  trees,  subsequently  became 
more  closely  fused  in  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society  ol 
London,  and  thus  justified  the  device  of  tb.e  banyan 
tree   if  they  somewhat  belied  the  motto. 

In  the  month  of  June   1824  the  Bishop  set  out  on 
his  first  "  Visitation,"  one  of  the  most  extensive  visita- 
tions   if  1  mistake  not,  ever  undertaken.     It  included 
the  whole  of  the  Ganges  valley,  and  at  its  head  a  trek 
south    to    Baroda   and    Bombay.     Thence    by  ship    to 
Cevlon,  and  thence  again    to  Calcutta,  where,  after  a 
short  rest   it  was  extended  southwards  to  Madras  and 
'Jrichinopoly.     Of  all  the  incidents,  or  even  of  a  few 
of  them,  we  cannot  possibly  hope  to  give  an  account 
here      It  must  suffice  if  we  follow  in  the  Bishop  s  steps, 
and  lin-er  with  him  now  and  again,  more  especially, 
'ncrhaps"^  when  he  has  something  to  say  of  himseh  or 
of  the  condition  of  the  English  at  that  time,  and  of  the 
r)rooress  we  were   making  in  winning  our  way   as  a 
civifising  power.     Like  all  Eastern  nations,  the  customs 
of  the  natives  of  India  were  much  then  as  they  were 
a  thousand  years  ago,  and  much,  too,  as  they  are  now^ 
Of  these  customs  most  persons  ha\e  a  good  idea,  if  not 
an  exact  knowledge,  and  this  is  not  the  place  to  deal 
with  such  questions  as  caste  or  the  rivalries  between 
th'-  Hindu  and  Mohammedan  population.     It  is  rather 
the  purpose  of  these  pages  to  reflect  a  personal  figure, 
which  if  it  be  only  piojected  in  outline,  yet  retains  so 


THE   BTSIIOPRIC   OF  CALCUTTA. 


133 


;  and  the 
author  but 
Liding  the 
ew  oppor- 
doubtless) 

ishop,  who 
:he  Asiatic 
ims  Wynn 
,'al  Asiatic 
tto,  "Quot 
flourishing 
tly  became 
Society  of 
b.e  banyan 

set  out  on 
isive  visita- 
It  included 
head  a  trek 
by  ship    to 
ere,  alter  a 
Madras  and 
■n  of  a  few 
an  account 
hop's  steps, 
i  especially, 
'  himself  or 
,  and  of  the 
r  way  as  a 
the  eustoms 
5  they  were 
ley  are  now. 
1  idea,  if  not 
lace  to  deal 
ies  between 
It  is  rather 
sonal  figure, 
et  retains  so 


much  of  the  characteristic  features,  that  we  recognise 
it  for  that  of  Ileber,  a  man  of  mental  i^wer,  common 
sense,  patience,  moderation,  personal  charm,  and 
unremitting  toil. 

The  first  part  of  his  journey  was  an  interesting 
voyage  through  the  intersecting  rivers  and  channels  of 
th(-  Ganges  delta  to  the  old  city  of  Dacca.  Accom- 
panied by  Mr.  Stowe,  his  chaplain,  and  some  native 
servants,  he  started  in  a  couple  of  small  boats,  lateen- 
rigged.  The  accommodation  was  slight,  the  cabin  being 
merely  an  open  sort  of  hut,  with  a  low  thatched  roof. 
In  the  one  boat  the  travellers  journeyed,  and  in  the  other 
their  cooking  was  done,  their  luggage  was  piled,  and 
their  stores  packed  away.  It  may  give  the  reader  some 
idea  of  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  supplies  even  in  this 
fertile  region  if  it  is  mentioned  that  they  had  to  provide 
for  so  simple  a  matter  as  milk,  milch  goats  being  taki  n 
on  board.  Salt  meat  and  poultry  formed  the  staple  of 
provisions,  and,  after  a  while,  they  were  able  to  obtain 
from  the  fishermen  they  encountered  an  uncertain  supply 
of  fish.  It  is  curious  to  note  that  it  was  with  great 
difficulty  that  they  were  able  to  enter  into  parleys  with 
the  native  fishermen,  so  plundered  had  they  been  by 
the  rascally  s-ervants  of  careless  or  indifferent  European 
"  Sahibs."  There  is  one  point,  which  any  one  would 
do  well  to  remember  in  reading  the  travels  of  any  white 
man  in  tropical  countries,  and  it  is  that  the  natives, 
being  by  natu)-e  and  climate  disposed  to  an  easy  life 
and  Uie  habit  of  supplying  themselves  alone  with  food, 
very  seldom  have  any  to  spare  for  the  unexpected 
visitor.  This  fact  has  accounted  for  many  of  the 
privations  wMiich  Englishmen  and  others  have  suffered 
in  exploring  new  tropical  regions,  and  it  explains  why 
Stanley,  who  marched  at  the  head  of  an  arrny,  had  to 
enforce  the  delivery  of  provisions  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet.  It  also  explains,  since  by  clearing  the  country 
of  the  harvest  he  left  the  people  in  imminent  danger  of 
starvation,  why  it  was  often  so  difficult  and  sometimes 
impossible  for  him  to  return  by  the  way  he  came. 


..!^* 


134 


RKc.iNAi.n  ni:r.KR. 


1 1 


"I"' 


Through  a  flat  and  alluvial  countiy,  growing  rice  and 
indigo,   and  al)ounding  in  jungk'   foruRd   by    banyans, 
])alnis,   plantains,  and  bamboo  thickets,  and  lure  and 
there  usurped  by  a  wide  stretch  of  malarial  swamp,  the 
little  boats  held  on  their  tortuous  way  to  Dacca.     One 
characteristic  anecdote  we  have  room  for,  and  that  is 
all.     While  passing  along  one  of  the  streams,  they  were 
hailed  from  the  bank  by  a  man  who  begged  earnestly 
to  be  taken  on  board.     The  Mussulmans  who  formed 
the  crew  laughed  at  his  entreaties,  but  I  leber,  who  was 
steering,  turned  his  boat  towaixl  shore.     The  man  said 
he   \Vci3   a   soldier    in   the    14th    Regiment,  wliich   was 
going  to  Dacca  by  boat,  and  that  at  the  last  halting- 
place  he  had  missed   the  boat  to  which  he   belonged. 
He    could  not  swim,  and   all   the   boats  that  had  jne- 
viously    passed    refused    him    passage,    seeing  that  he 
was  poor.     Heber  took  him  on  board,  and  the  fellow, 
who    Avas  a  fine    specimen  of  a   Hindu,   said  that  on 
seeing    a   Sahib    (a   white   gentleman)    his    hopes  had 
revived.     By    way    of  administering    a    side-thrust    to 
the    crew^,    and    perhaps    at   the    same    time    of   com- 
plimenting the  Sahib,  he  said,  "  These  cursed  Bengalees 
are  not  like  other  people,  and  care  nothing  for  a  soldier 
or    an^  iiody  else  in  trouble.     To   be   sure,"   he  added 
with    some    point,    "  they    always   run    away    well  ! " 
After     travelling    some     miles     Heber    overtook     the 
ilotilla  of  the  regiment,  and   proposed  to  put  him   on 
board  the  first  boat.     But  the  Hindu  begged  piteously 
not  to  be  so  dishonoured,  for  this  was  the  cooking  boat. 
The  Mussulman  crew,  caring  nothing  for  caste,  roared 
hilariously  at  this.     They   then   approached   a  second 
boat,   and  again  overtures  were  made  to  transfer  the 
passenger.     Again    he    objected — it    was    the    washer- 
man's   boat !      The    crew    now    simpl  y    shouted    and 
chaffed    the    man    out    of  countenance,    so  with  many 
apologies    and    profuse    expressions    of    gratitude    he 
was  straightway  transferred.     This  is  a  slight  incident, 
but    it    shows    us    something    of  the  character  of  the 
natives  and  a  glimpse  of  the  methods  by  which  the 


THE   I'.ISIIOI'RIC   OF   CALCUTTA. 


135 


g  rice  and 
banyans, 
luTc  and 
ivanip,  the 
cca.     One 
lid  that  is 
they  were 
earnestly 
ho  formed 
)  who  was 
•  man  said 
vhich   was 
St  iialting- 
belonged. 
t  had  1)1  e- 
ig  that  he 
the  fellow, 
id  that  on 
ho]ies  had 
•-thrust    to 
.'    of    com- 
I  Bengalees 
)r  a  soldier 
'  he  added 
ay    well  !  " 
;rtook     the 
)ut  him   on 
x\  piteously 
loking  boat. 
:iste,  roared 
d   a  second 
ransfer  the 
lie    washer- 
louted    and 
with  many 
ratitude    he 
ht  incident, 
icter  of  the 
'  which  the 


liishop   earned   to   himself  such  golden  opinions   from 
the  natives. 

At  Dacca  Mr.  Stowe  was  taken  dangerously  ill. 
Me  had  been  ailing  at  Calcutta,  but  it  was  hoped  that 
a  three  months'  voyage  on  the  Ganges  would  set  him 
up.  Probably  had  he  weathered  the  severe  strain 
put  upon  his  constitution  by  this  trip  through  the 
delta,  he  would  have  really  benefited  by  the  change  to 
a  drier  climate ;  but,  like  many  another  European, 
he  failed  to  exercise  the  continual  caution  required  in 
a  miasmatic  country.  The  three  weeks'  journey 
through  the  delta  proved  fatal,  and  on  the  17th  of 
July  he  died.  Ilebcr  nursed  him  throughout  the  last 
illness,  closed  his  eyes  when  the  end  came,  laid  him 
to  rest  in  the  cemetery  outside  the  town,  and  ordered 
a  monument  to  be  placed  over  his  grave.  This  was 
a  great  loss  to  him,  as  well  as,  of  course,  a  personal 
grief 

Writing  home  to  Augustus  Mare  of  the  death  of 
Stowe,  he  mentions  that  at  Dacca  they  "were  the 
guests  of  Mr.  Master,  the  principal  judge,  whose  nephew 
you  may  have  known  at  Balliol,  and  from  him,  more 
particularly,  and  from  Mr.  Mitford,  the  junior  judge, 
brother  to  my  friend  Mitford,  of  Oriel,  we  received 
daily  and  unwearied  kindness.  Mrs.  Mitford,  on  finding 
that  poor  Miss  Stowe  thought  of  setting  off  for  Dacca 
to  nurse  her  brother,  not  only  wrote  to  ask  her  to  their 
house,  but  oifered  to  accelerate  a  journey  which  Mr. 
Mitford  and  she  were  meditating  to  Calcutta,  in  order 
to  take  care  of  her  in  her  dismal  homeward  voyage. 
I  trust,  however,  that  my  letter  would  arrive  in  time 
to  stop  her." 

It  is  interesting  to  record,  as  an  instance  of  Meber's 
genial  and  liberal  Christianity,  that  it  was  at  Dacca  he 
received  a  letter  from  the  Protopapas  of  the  Greek 
Church  resident  at  Calcutta,  in  which  that  official 
regretted  to  hear  of  the  Bishop's  departure,  and  trusted 
that  he  would  have  a  safe  journey.  The  letter  was 
written  in  Greek,  and  cannot  find  a  place  in  this  little 


1      r 


I.  \. 


136 


REGINALD   IIEDER. 


memoir,  but  its  superscription  is  worth  rccordinp^:  "To 
the  most  learned  and  reverend  Master,  and  Spiritual 
Father,  the  Lord  Reginald,  Bishop  of  Calcutta,  with 
respectful  solicitations."  It  may  be  added  that  the 
translation  of  the  letter  printed  in  Mrs.  Heber's  memoir 
of  her  husband,  though  performed  by  a  clergyman,  is  a 
most  miserable  affair,  and  does  little  justice  to  the  writer's 
Greek.  An  enieufe  cordiole  was  not  only  established 
between  the  English  and  Greek  Churches,  but  also 
between  the  former  and  the  Armenian  Christians,  who 
even  called  themselves  "  Protestant  Armenians,"  by 
way  of  claiming  some  identity  with  the  reformed 
churches. 

Few  people  can  realise  even  nowadays  how  vast  a 
country  India  is,  but  there  is  probably  not  one  person 
in  a  hundred  thousand  who  has  thought  of  how  much 
more  vast  it  must  have  been  when  railways  were  not, 
and  the  English  was  to  the  native  population  but  a 
few  scattered  pin-points  on  a  blackboard.  Nowa- 
days, too,  you  cannot  travel  at  all  in  India  witliout 
jostling  against  the  clergy,  ^oth  English  and  native; 
then  it  was  very  different.  This  is  v.hat  Heber  wrote 
in  his  Journal  at  Dacca  :  "  I  met  a  lady  to-day  who 
had  been  several  years  at  Nusseerabad  in  Rajpootana, 
and  during  seven  years  of  her  stay  in  India,  she  had 
never  seen  a  clergyman,  or  had  an  opportunity  of  going 
to  church.  This  was,  however,  a  less  tedious  excom- 
munication than  has  been  the  lot  of  a  very  good  and 
religious  man,  resident  at  Tiperah,  or  somewhere  in 
that  neighbourhood,  who  was  for  nineteen  years  to- 
gether the  only  Christian  within  scvcnt}'  miles,  and  at 
least  three  hundred  from  any  place  of  worship." 

From  Dacca  the  Bishop  journe^'ed  south  until  he 
reached  the  Ganges  again,  and  then  turned  his  boats 
up  stream. 

"  The  noise  of  the  Ganges,"  writes  the  Bishop,  "  is 
really  hke  the  sea.  As  we  passed  near  a  hollow  and 
precipitous  part  of  the  bank,  on  which  the  wind  set 
full,  it  told  on  my  ear  exactly  as  if  the  tide  were  coming 


THE   BISHOPRIC  OF   CALCUTTA. 


137 


ne; :  "  To 

Spiritual 

itta,  with 

that    the 

s  nunioir 

man,  is  a 

le  writer's 

rtablislied 

but   also 

ians,  who 

ans,"    by 

reformed 


)w  vast  a 
le  person 
low  much 
were  not, 
on  but  a 
Nowa- 
1  without 
d  native  ; 
ber  wrote 
-day  who 
ijpootana, 
she  had 
f  of  going 
IS  exconi- 
good  and 
where  in 
years  to- 
;s,  and  at 

I  until  he 
his  boats 

shop,   "  is 

iljow  and 

wind  set 

re  coming 


in  ;  and  when  the  moon  rested  at  night  on  this  great 
and,  as  it  then  seemed,  this  shoreless  extent  of  water, 
we  might  nave  fancied  ourselves  in  the  cuddy  of  an 
Indiaman."  ''1ie  river  at  this  point  was  then  about 
lour  miles  \\. '  /idth  ;  but  it  must  be  renu  mbcred  that  the 
Ganges  ove-.nows  its  banks  every  year,  and  that  during 
the  rainy  season  many  districts  are  Hooded  lor  a  breadth 
of  twenty,  and  even  a  greater  numner  of  miles. 

The  first  station  of  importance  was  Bhagalpur.      It 
was    owing    to    the    interest    he    then    gained    in    the 
people  of  that  district   that  Christian  David  was  sent 
there  to  work  so  abundantly  and  with  such  promise- 
to  be  cut  short,  as  we  have  seen,  only  too  soon.     From 
thence  the  Bishop  moved  on  to  Monghyr,  here  meeting 
lames    Lushington,    cousin     of     his     friend     Charles 
Lushington,  and  so  1  to  that  Stephen  Lushington  who 
afterwards  became  Governor  of  Madras.     In  his  letter 
to  Charles  we    have  an  interesting   reference    to    the 
influenza  which  at  that  time— the  summer  of  1824— 
raged  throughout  the  Lower  Ganges.     Speakmg  of   a 
friend  at  Bhagalpur,   he  says:  "Had  he  remained  m 
Calcutta,  he  would  hardly,  1  think,  have  weathered  the 
influenza,  or  whatever  is  its  name,  of  this  last  unhealthy 
season.   ...   I  was  sincerely  anxious  to  know  that  you 
had  both  got  through  this  troublesome  and  universal 
ordeal    without   worse    consequences    than    the    usual 
amount  of  nursing  and  confinement.     1  trust  that  the 
weakness    which    it    appears    to    have    invariably    left 
behind  has  been  of  less  duration  with  both  of  you  than 
my  wife  complains  it  has  been  in  her  case."     So  univer- 
sal, indeed,  was  the  epidemic  that  many  of  the  pubhc 
offices  at  Calcutta  were  closed,  and  the  Company  s  dis- 
pensary was  actually  shut  up  at  one  time. 

On  the  evening  of  August  3rd,  after  they  had  moored 
for  the  night,  he  landed,  and  went  for  a  stroll.  I  he 
result  was  the  well-known  poem,  "  An  Evening  Walk 
in  Bengal."  He  said  that  he  wrote  .  -  ndeavouring  to 
fancy  he  was  tiot  alone.  The  lines  "Come,  walk  with 
me  the  jungle  through,"  and   "  Come  on  1  yet  pause  1 


I3« 


KKniNAi.n  iii:i!r,k. 


I! 


l:i| 


-'•K' 


IkIioKI  us  how,"  may  be  (|U()t(tl  as  showing  liow  it 
bore  out  the  intentional  decejition. 

At  Monghyr  I  leber  met  with  an  interesting,^  incident, 
evidencing  the  catholicity  of  Christianity.  There  was 
no  Company's  chaplain  at  that  station,  the  only 
Christian  ministration  being  provided  by  a  liaptist 
Missionary,  and  members  of  the  English  Church  and 
other  bodies  avaihxl  themselves  of  it.  I  leber  was  asked 
to  slay  over  a  Sunday  in  order  that  he  might  hold 
service,  and  on  this  being  made  pul)lic  the  Baptist 
nu'ssionary  announced  that  he  would  hold  no  servii  j 
that  day.  When  the  day  came,  he  not  only  attended 
himself,  but  brought  his  whole  flock  with  him. 

The  Bishop  sent  home  a  humorous  account  of  his 
entry  into  the  sacred  city  of  Benares,  that  "  most  holy 
city  "  of  Hindustan.      Here  is  an  abridged  version  : — 

••  I  will  endeavour  to  give  you  some  idea  of  the 
concert,  vocal  and  instrumental,  which  saluted  us  as 
we  entered  the  town. 

"  First  Bci^gar.  '  Great  lord,  great  judge,  give  me 
some  pice.  1  am  a  fakir ;  I  am  a  priest ;  I  am  dying 
with  hunger.' 

"Bearers,  trotting.  '  Ugh  !  Ugh  !  Ugh  !  Ugh  ! ' 

*' Musicians.  'Tingle  tangle,  tingle  tangle,  bray,  bray, 
bray  ! ' 

"  Chiiprassc  (clearing  the  way  with  his  sheathed 
sword).  'Silence!  give  room  for  the  lord  judge,  the 
lord  priest  I  Get  out  of  the  way — quir'  ! '  (Then  very 
gently  stroking  and  patting  the  broad  back  of  a 
Brahmin  bull),  '  Oh,  good  man.,  move,  move.' 
"  Bull  (scarcely  moving)  '  Ba~a — ah  ! ' 
''Second  Beggar  (counting  his  beads,  rolling  his 
eyes,  and  moving  his  body  backwards  and  forwards). 
'  Ram,  ram,  ram,  ram  !  ' 

"  Bearers,  as  before.      "  Ugh  !  ugh  !  ugh  !  ugh  ! '  " 

Any  one  who  has  ever  travelled  in  an  Oriental  country, 

and  especially  in  India,  can  realise  the  scene  which  the 

Bishop   here  calls   up  for  the  amusement  of  his  wife. 

The  reverence  with  which  the  sacred  bulls  are  treated 


Tin:  I'.isiioi'Ric  OF  Calcutta. 


139 


;  how   it 

incident, 
lie  re  was 
he    only 

Baptist 
uirh  antl 
as  asked 
gilt  hold 

IJaptist 
)  servit  J 
attended 

it  of  his 
est  holy 
lion  : — 
L   of  the 
id  us  as 

give  nie 
in  dying 

1!' 

ay,  bray, 

sheathed 
dge,  the 
lien  very 
:k    of    a 


ling    his 
rwards). 

^•h ! ' " 
countt-}'^, 
hich  the 
lis  wife. 
:  treated 


is  very  often  absurd,  'lluy  will  U  t  theui  thrust  tin  u" 
noses  "in  to  the  shops,  and  gorge  sweetmeats  or  anything 
else  that  takes  their  fancy  without  more  remonstrance 
than  a  humble  petition  will  convey. 

While   riding  one   morning   through   the    streets    ot 
Benares,   a   litti.-   boy   ran   after  him,   and  ^y.th   many 
salaams,  and  with  his  hands  joined  ni   humble  appea 
(as  their  manner  is),  told  him  that  he-  was  a  student  at 
a  school  which  t!ie  Bishop  had  exaimned  the      y  bclore. 
The    boy  said    that    the    Bishop    had    not    asked    h.m 
if  he   knew  his  lesson,  but  that  he  d   '   knovv  it,  and 
with  my  Lord  the  Bishop's  permission  he  would  say  it. 
The  good  Bishop  pulled  up  his  horse  and  listened  while 
the    boy   recited    a    long    Sanskrit    ode.      1  he    Bishop, 
though  not  understanding  what  it  was  about    at  every 
pause  said,   'Good,   good,'  which    so  pleased    the  boy 
that  when   he  had  done  he  wished  to  begin  1     all  ove 
again.     The  boy  got  a  pat  on  the  head   and   a  small 
present,    and    he,    in   his    turn,    offered    the    Bishop    a 
garland   of  flowers.      It  was   a   little  incident,    but   a 

pretty  one.  .  ,      . 

Heber  saw  much  of  Benares  and  its  lile     much  of 
natives  and  something    of  native  opinion^during    his 
stay      For    the    results    1    have    no   space,   but  it  will 
interest  my  reader  to  hear  that  he  endeavoured  to  ascer- 
tain which  were  the  most  popular  of  tb.e  many  Governors 
who  had  ruled  India,  and  ;hat  the  poll  he  took  ui  casua 
conversation  resulted  in  placing  Warren  Hastings  and 
Lord  Wellesley  highest-"  the   two  greatest  men  who 
had  ever  ruled  this  part   of  the  world."     But   na  ive 
affection,     it    seemed,    was  reserved  for  Mr.   Jonathan 
Duncan  ;  and  "Duncan  sahib  ka  chota  bhaee      (    Mi. 
Duncan's  younger  brother  ")  was  a  phrase  commonly 
applied    to  any  ruler  who  showed  great  kindness  and 
a  liberal  spirit.     A  glamour  seemed  to  rest  round  the 
name  of  Warren  I  Listings,  and  the  children  of  Luropeans 
were  frequently  put  to  sleep  with  lullabies  which  recalled, 
in  Hindustanee,  the  pomp  and  splendour  of  iluu  un- 
fortunate Governor. 


140 


Ri:r,iNAr,i)  iiKiiicR. 


k 


One  j^rts  a  lair  idea  ..f  what  "  visitation  "  nuant  to  the 
iJishop,  uht  iMvcr  he  ivadK  (I  a  station  whcic  a  cliuirh 
Of  something  tliat  vvonld  ilo  duty  for  a  church   could 
In-  lound,  in  a  letter  written  by  one  ofthr  missionaries 
at  (hunar,  above  r)enar<s.      Here  is  an  extract:  "This 
morning  the  Uishop  preached  on  the  (.ooil  SanuTritan,  and 
tlien  administered  the  Sacrament  both  in   Knglish' and 
liuidustanee.     The  service  was  nearly  four  hours  lon^  ; 
and  from   the  active  part  which   his  "Lordship   took,    it 
seemed  as  if  he  would  never  be  tired  while  tluis  en^aKed. 
At  five  in  the  afternoon  we  had  divine  service  in  Hindu- 
stance.     The  whole  church  was  thronged  with  native 
Christians,  and  the  aisles  were  crowded  with  heathens  ; 
there  must  have  been  many  hundreds  presi  nt,  of  whom' 
the  greater  part  were  drawn  by  curiosity.     Immediately 
after,  English  evening  worship  commenced."    The  writer 
adds  that  the  iJishop  had  spent  seven  h(,urs  that  day  in 
public  worshi]).    At  15enares  he  had  cnsecrated  a  chuVch, 
held  a  con(irn)ati(jn  (anu.ng  the  candidates  were  fourteen 
natives,  "the  first  who  have  yet  offeretl  themselves"), 
and  preached.     Continually,   too,   was   he  engaged    in' 
planning  for  the  development  of  the  work  begun,  and 
the^strengthening  of  the  root  but  lately  planted. 

But   the   lai)our  was  heavy,  and    t1ie   return   to   the 

boat-hfe   on    the   Ganges  a   respite  and   a  rest    which 

the  Bishop  greatly  appreciated.      He  writes  about  this 

tune:  '<Much  as   1   like  those  1   have  left,   I  confess  I 

was  hardly  sorry  to  feel   myself  once  more  upon   the 

wati-rs."     What  with  tlie   official   work   that   fell   to  a 

diocesan    w|ho    could    be    so    rarely    within,    say,    five 

hundred   miles    of  many  most   important  i)arts  of  his 

diocese,  and  the  enquiries  into  half  a  hundred  matters 

arising  out   of  it ;  the  visiting  and  the   being  visited  ; 

the  duties  of  courtesy  and  the  bonds  of  obligation,  he 

had  more  to  do  than   time  to  do  it  in.      "  I  have  more 

than  once,"  he  wrote,   "  I    ,  n  tempted  to  look  back  with 

regret   to  the    evenings  that    I    rambled  by  the  jungle 

side,  and  the  days  that  I  passed  in  the  quie^t  contempb- 

tion  of  wood,  water,  and  cottages,  and  to  think  that, 


iipla- 
tliat. 


'I 


I  i 


142 


R]:(;iNALI)    IIKliKR. 


Il 


m 


r 


H   i 


t 


«»  V 


though  more  is  to  be  learned  among  the  cities,  camps, 
and  castles  of  Hindustan,  as  much  enjoyment,  at  least, 
may  be  found  in  the  fragrant  groves  and  comparatively 
unfrequented  ruins  of  green  Bengal." 

But  the  cjuiet  of  the  river  life  was  soon  to  be 
exchanged  for  the  activity  and  excitement  of  a  land 
march  through  jungle. 

At  yMlahabad  he  set  out  on  a  prolonged  journey  to 
the  North-West,  passing  through  Cawnpur,  Lucknow, 
Bareilly,  Almorah,   Meerut,   Delhi,   Agra,    Jaipur,   and 
thence  by  way  of  Baroda  to  Bombay.     The  prepara- 
tions for  a  journey  which  was  made  through  so  wide 
an   extent  of  country  were  necessarily  somewhat  for- 
midable, and  the  time  to  be  spent  on  it — from  the  end 
of  September  to  April   19th — did  not  in  any  way  tend 
to    make   them    less    important.       Of  camping  out  in 
caravan  1  leber  was  now  to  have  a  prolonged  experience 
—  broken,    it    is    true,   by   the    agreeable    diversion    of 
receiving  a  lavish   hospitality  from   high   officials  and 
rajahs  and  Indian  royalty  ;  and  he  leaves  us  an  amusing 
account  of  his  first  impressions  of  his  equipage.     The 
"  motley  train,"  he  tells  us,  consisted  of  *' twenty-four 
camels,    eight    carts    drawn    by    bullocks,    twenty-four 
horse  servants,  ten   ponies,   forty  bearers   and    coolies 
of  difterent  descriptions,    twelve    tent-pitchers,   and    a 
guard  of  twenty  Sepoys  under  a  native  officer.     The 
whimsical    caravan   filed    oft"  in   state   before  me ;    my 
servants,  all  armed  with  spears,  to  which  many  of  them 
had    added,   at   their  own  cost,  sabres  of  the  longest 
growth,   looked,  on   their  little   ponies,   like  something 
between  Cossacks  and  sheriff^'s  javelin-men.     My  new 
Turkoman  horse,  still  in  the  costume  of  his  country, 
with    his  long,    squirrel-like   tail  painted    red,   and   his 
mane  plaited  in  love-knots,  looked  as  if  he  were  going 
to  eat  fire,  or  perform  some  other  part  in  a  melodrama ; 
while  Mr.  Lushington's  horses,  two  very  pretty  Arabs, 
with    their    tails    docked    and    their    saddles    English 
(*Ungrigi')    fashion,    miglit    have    attracted   notice    in 
Hyde   Park ;    the  Archdeacon's   buggy   and  hovst^  hg-d 


THE   r.ISIIOPRIC  OF   CALCUTTA. 


H3 


,  camps, 
at  least, 
irativcly 

1    to    be 
a  land 

irnc}'  to 
ucknow, 
)ur,   and 
prcpara- 
so  wide 
'hat  for- 
the  end 
/ay  tend 
^  out  in 
perience 
rsion    of 
ials  and 
amusing 
je.     The 
mty-four 
mty-four 
1    coolies 
;,   and    a 
er.     The 
me  ;    my 
'  of  them 
i  longest 
Dmething 
My  new 
country, 
and   his 
?re  going 
lodrama ; 
ty  Arabs, 
English 
lotice    in 
.ovse  hg-d 


every  appearance  of  issuing  from  the  back  gate  of  a 
college  in  Cambridge  on  a  Sunday  mornuig  ;  and  astly 
came  some  mounted  gms  d'arnus,  and  a  sword  and 
buckler-man  on  foot,  looking  exactly  like  the  advanced 
guard  of  a  Tartar  army."  . 

lames  Lushington,  who  travelled  with  him  m  the 
upper  basin  of  the  Ganges,  mentions  a  very  typica 
piclce  of  a  traveller's  experience.  He  and  the  B.shop 
had  started  off  on  horseback  for  a  distant  town,  but  he 
rain  came  down  with  such  suddenness  and  force  that 
they  were  wet  through  in  a  few  minutes. 

"  '  We  stayed  not  for  brook,  and  wc  stopped  not  for  stone,'  " 
he  writes    "but  dashed  on  to  PuUiampoor,  which  we 
reached  in  about  an  hour  and  a  half,— at  least  I  did  ; 
his  lordship's  horse  knocked  up,   and  he  was  not   up 
for  half  an  hour  after  me.     There  was  no  standing  on 
ceremony,  and   I  rode  on  and  got  a  fire  lighted  in  a 
wretched   serai.      Perhaps    the  smoke  and  stink,   etc. 
kent  out  the  cold  which  I  thought  1  must  hav-e  caught 
after  standing  so  long  in  drenched  clothes.      1  he  scene 
was  rather  good  when  the  Bishop  arrived.      I  here  was 
the  Lord  Bi^shop  of  all  the  Indies  sitting  cowering  over 
a    wretched    fire   of  wet    wood,    ihe    smoke    of  which 
nroduced  a  blearv  redness  about  the  eyes,  surrounded 
bv  a  group  of  shivering  blacks,  some  squatting,  some 
half  c4aid  to  come    farther  than  the  doorway  of  the 
hut ;  and   in   the  background,   close  to  his    head,    my 
horse's    tail,    with    a    boy    attempting    to    scrape  ott 
sonie    of  the    mud    with    which    the    poor    beast    ^yas 
covered    all    over.     The   walls  were  of  mud,  and   the 
roof    of    rotten    smoked    bamboo,    from    which    were 
suspended  two  or  three  kedgeree  pots.     We  cut  jokes 
upon    the    ludicrou'.    figures    we    were    conscious    of 
makin'-    and   were  comfortable  enough  as  long  as  we 
were  eating,   which  we    did   with    ravenous    appetites. 
But    in    a    short    time    we    began    to    be    sufficiently 
wretched,  worse  far  than  the  'stout  gentleman     on  a 
rainy    day,    for   the    traveller's    room    leaked    hkc    a 


144 


REGINALD   HEBER. 


■Wt 


,  I  • 


I '  »'H' 


I 


sieve.  .  .  .  Our  beds  being  all  thoroughly  soaked 
though  covered  with  oilcloth,  we  were  obliged  to  turn 
into  the  palanquins,  which  were,  perhaps,  the  best  of 
the  two,  as  one  is  quite  secure  from  rain  in  there." 

At   l.ucknow,  the   Bishop  was  very  courteously  re- 
ceived by  the  King  of  Oudh,  and  he  tells  a  good  story 
of  that  potentate's  credulity  and  his  helplessness  in  the 
hands  of  an   unprincipled  prime    minister.      It   seems 
that  the  king  was  fond  of  mechanics,  and  delighted  in 
the   society  of  a  Mussulman  engineer,  who  instructed 
him   in   all   the  mysteries  of  his  craft.     The  favour  in 
which  this  engineer  was  held  aroused  the  fears  of  the 
prime  minister,   who    straightway   sent    a    message    to 
the    engineer    to    tell    him,   if  he   were  wise,   to   leave 
Lucknow.     The  engineer  promptly  left,  and  established 
himself  in    a    place    some    ten   miles  down   the  river. 
The  king  was  told  that  the  man  had  died  of  cholera, 
and,  to  show  his  regret,  he  sent  a  handsome  present 
to  his  widow  and   children.      Now,  as  ill  luck  would 
have   it,  the  king   suddenly  made   up  his   mind  to  go 
on  a  voyage  down  the  river,  and  before  long,  of  course, 
he  arrived  at  the  spot  where  the  engineer  had  erected 
a  shop.     Observing  this,  and  other  evidences  of  superior 
skill,  the  king  ordered  his  barge  to  be  steered  ashore, 
when  lo,  behold  the  engineer  himself,  alive  and  well, 
but  evidently  in  a  state  of  great  fear  1     The  king  spoke 
to  him,  and  then  took  him  straight  back  to  Lucknow, 
in  a  most  kingly  state  of  rage,  and  sent  for  the  minister, 
and  asked  him  if  it  were  true  that  the  engineer  was 

dead. 

What  followed  shall  be  given  in  Heber's  words. 

*'  *  Undoubtedly  !  '  was  the  reply.  *  I  myself  ascer- 
tained the  fact,  and  conveyed  your  Majesty's  bounty 
to  the  widow  and  children.' 

'"  Hurumzada  !'  said  the  king,  bursting  into  a  fury, 
'  look  there,  and  never  see  my  face  more  ! ' 

"The  vizier  turned  round,  and  saw  how  matters 
were  circumstanced.  With  a  terrible  glance,  which 
the  king  could  not  see,  but  which  spoke  volumes  to 


;;*■ 


THE   BISHOPRIC  OF   CALCUTTA. 


145 


'  soaked 
d  to  turn 
e  best  of 
2re." 

ously  re- 
ood  story 
2SS  in  the 
It  seems 
ighted  in 
nstructed 
favour  in 
u's  of  the 
issage  to 
to  leave 
itablished 
the  river, 
f  cholera, 
e  present 
ick  would 
ind  to  go 
of  course, 
d  erected 
f  superior 
:d  ashore, 
and  well, 
ing  spoke 
l.ucknow, 
t  minister, 
ineer  was 

ords. 

jclf  ascer- 

^'s  bounty 

ito  a  fury, 

w  matters 
cc,  which 
'olumes  to 


the   poor  engineer,  he  imposed  silence  on   the   latter  ; 
then,  turning  round  again  to  his  master,   stopping  his 


ith 


nittercd 


lati 


)f  '  God 


lame 


nose,   ana 

be  merciful !  '     •  ^atan  is  strong  ! '     'In 

God  keep  the  devil  from  me ! '  he  said, — 

'* '  I  hope  your  Majesty  has  not  touched  the  horrible 
object  ? ' 

"'Touch  him!'  said  the  king;  'the  sight  of  him  is 
enough  to  convince  me  of  your  rascality.' 

"  '  Istufirullah  !  'said  the  favourite;  'and  does  not 
your  Majesty  perceive  the  strong  smell  of  a  dead 
carcass  ? ' 

"  The  king  still  stormed,  but  his  voice  faltered, 
and  curiosity  and  anxiety  began  to  mingle  with  his 
indignation. 

"  '  It  is  certain,  Refuge  of  the  World,'  resumed  the 
minister,  '  that  your  Majesty's  late  engineer — with  whom 
be  peace  ! — is  dead  and  buried  ;  but  your  slave  knoweth 
not  who  hath  stolen  his  body  fi-om  the  grave,  or  what 
vampire  it  is  who  now  inhabits  it,  to  the  terror  of 
all  good  Mussulmans.  Good  were  it  that  he  were  run 
through  with  a  sword  before  your  Majesty's  face,  if  it 
were  not  unlucky  to  shed  blood  in  the  auspicious 
presence.  I  .  y  your  Majesty,  dismiss  us;  I  will 
see  him  conducL^d  back  to  his  grave  ;  it  may  be  that 
when  that  is  opened  he  may  enter  it  again  peaceably.' 

"  The  king,  confused  and  agitated,  knew  not  what 
to  say  or  order.  The  attendants  led  the  terrified 
mechanic  out  of  the  room  ;  and  the  vizier,  throwing 
him  a  purse,  swore,  with  a  horrible  oath,  that  if  he  did 
not  put  himself  on  the  other  side  of  the  Company's 
frontier  before  the  ne.xt  morning,  if  ever  he  trode  the 
earth  again  it  should  be  as  a  vampire  indeed." 

Heber  now  made  an  adventurous  journey  up  into 
Rohil-Khand,  arriving  at  Meerut  by  the  end  of  the 
year.  Thence  he  journeyed  south,  by  Delhi,  Bhartpur, 
and  Agra,  to  Jaipur,  and  though  Rajputana  to  Baroda 
and  Bombay.  Dr.  George  Barnes,  the  Archdeacon  of 
Bombay,  met  him  near  Baroda,  and  we  may  conclude 

10 


M' 


!1 


■t^' 


146 

this  chapter  \vi 


REGINALD   IIEBER. 
til  a  few  extracts  from  that  gentleman's 


MS.  diary : —  ,      n-  1  1 

"  1  went  early  this  morning  to  meet  the  Bishop,  and 

found  him  arriVcd  hefore  me.  lie  was  sittmg  m  a 
sinele-noled  tent,  surrounded  hy  haggage  and  iollowers  ; 
he  received  me  most  kindly  ;  his  voice  and  countenantj 
were  verv  much  what  1  remember  of  them  at  Oxford, 
and  his  manner  as  i'vcv  and  animated  as  ever. 

"  Baroda  -The  church  consecrated  here  this  day 
was  dedicated  to  '  the  Holy  Trinity.'  .  .  .  The  church 
being  without  a  bell,  the  Bishop  gave  a  design  ior  the 
erection  of  a  small  belfry,  which  was  built  the  bep- 
tember  following." 

<'  K'lirah  -  -The   chuixh  was  consecrated    and    dedi- 
cated'to    'St.    George.'    .    .    .    The    Bishop's    manner 
everywhere  is  exceedingly  popular  ;  and  though  there 
are   some  points,   such   as   his  wearing  white  trousers 
and  a  white  hat,  which   I  could  wish  to  see  altered  with 
more  regard  to  his  station  .   .  .  yet  really  1   leel  com- 
pelled to  forgive  him  when   1  observe  his   unreserved 
frankness,    his    anxious    and    serious    wish    to    do    al 
the  uood  in   his  power,    his  truly  amiable   and  kindly 
feelings,  his  talents  and   piety,  and   his  extraordinary 
powers    of    conversation,    accompanied  with   so    much 
cheerfulness  and  vivacity." 

The  Archdeacon  was  a  stickler,  it  will   be  seen,  loi 
ecclesiastical    "trimmings,"    but   a    prelerence    lor    the 
Bishop's  pith  topi  and  linen  trousers  woukl  have  been 
more  creditable  to  his  sense  of  fitness.      I  hmgs  have 
changed  since    th.n,  and  nowadays  the  Indian  clergy 
appreciate    suitable   clothing.     With    relerence  to  this 
1  am  interested  in  a  note  which  the  Bishop  made  on 
his  first  arrival  in  India  with  regard  to  the  dress  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  clergy-white  linen  ^^^^^^^o^ks  -as  some 
few  years  ago  I  was  particularly  struck  by  this  dignihed 
and  seemly  costume,  as  worn  by  a  venerable  Roman 
Catholic  priest  in  the  Madras  province,  enhanced,  too, 
in  dignitv  by  the  padre's  long  grey  beard. 

"April  20th.— We  came    to  an    anchor   in  Bombay 


Till'    laSIlOPRIC   OF   CALCUTTA. 


147 


harbour,  but  it  being  very  late  we  did  not  land  until 
this  morning.  .  .  .  Government  had  prepared  a  very 
neat  bungalow  for  the  Bishop's  reception  en  tiie  espla- 
nade and  near  the  sea,  where  he  much  enjoyed  the 
fresh  breezes  after  the  heat  of  his  long  and  tedious 
journey.  It  is  now  above  ten  months  since  he  leit 
"Calcutta,  and  during  that  time  he  has  visited  every 
station  of  importance  in  the  upper  provinces  of  Bengal 
and  north  of  Bombay." 

Very  shortly  after  he  reached  Bombay,  and  neai'ly 
eleven  months  since  he  had  bidden  them  good-bye,  the 
Bishop  was  joined  by  his  wife  and  elder  child,  who 
had  come  round  by  ship  from  Calcutta.  In  the  peace 
and  happiness  of  a  renewal  of  family  life,  and  in  the 
comparative  rest  and  healthfulness  of  his  pleasant 
bungalow  by  the  seashore,  the  labours  of  his  long 
journey  through  Upper  India  came  to  an  end. 


CHAPTER   VII. 


•'»• 
X 


hi 


nil::    LAbT    YEAR. 

IN  his  tour  tIiri>UL;li  tin-  northern  part  of  India  Ilchc  r 
liad  met  with  many  encouraging  signs  o(  the  vitaUty 
of  the  Church,  and  we  learn  from  him  that  it  was  not 
the   hikcwarmncss  of  the   lay  but   the  paucity   of  t!ie 
clerical  element  that  prevented  the  Church  from  going 
forward  and  keeping  well  abreast  of  the  expansion  of  the 
civil    power.     "  Not  Westmoreland,"  said  he,    "  before 
the    battle  of  Agincourt  wished  with   greater    earnest- 
ness for  '  more    men  from    England  '  than   1   do."     At 
Benares  he  had  had  eighty  English  communicants  ;  at 
Allahabad  sixty  ;  and  at  Chunar,  including  the  natives, 
one  hundred  and  twenty.     **  The  eagerness  and  anxiety 
for  more  chaplains,"  he  writes,  "  is  cxceedii.gly  painful 
to  witness,  knowing,  as  1  w<       .now,  that  the  remedy 
of  the    evil  is    beyond    the    j  ower   of  government    to 
supply."     This,    of  course,  applied  only    to  chaplains, 
whose  duties  were  restricted  to  care  for  the  Company's 
officials  and  troops.     For  missionaries    he  would  look 
to  the  missionary  societies.     It  is  a  matter  of  opinion, 
we  may  suppose,  which  is  the  prior  duty,  and  it  is  the 
opinion  of  the    present  writer   that    the  first    duty  of 
Englishmen  is  to  satisfy  the  spiritual  requirement 
then  Drethren  in  distant  lands  ;  to  do  this,  but  yet 

148 


f 


THE   LAST   YEAR. 


i;i  !1l1k  r 
V  vitality 
was  not 

y'    of    thu 

)m  going 
on  of  the 
*'  before 
earnest- 
do."     At 
:ants  ;  at 
:  natives, 
d  anxiety 
ly  painful 
J  remedy 
iment    to 
:  ha  plains, 
onipany's 
Diild  look 
f  opinion, 
1  it  is  the 
diit}'  of 
;ments  of 
jt  yet  not 


149 


to  leave  the  other  undone.  This  seems  to  have  been 
the  Bishop's  view  of  the  matter,  and,  although  greatly 
anxious  for  missionary  extension,  he  was  if  possible 
even  more  anxious  for  the  provision  of  spiritual  pastoi's 
for  the  small  groups  of  English  Christians  seattered  all 
over  his  wide  diocese. 

Four  days  after  reaching  I^ombay  he  confirmed  one 
hundred  and  twenty  persons  in  St.  Thomas's  Church, 
— a  lai-ge  number  for  India  in  those  days,  especially  as 
children  were  and  still  are  sent  home  to  England  for 
their  education.  Three  days  later  the  formal  visitation 
was  held,  and  Dr.  Barnes,  the  Archdeacon,  preached  a 
sermon  which,  as  he  was  leaving  for  England  after  eleven 
years'  service,  was  for  him  a  sort  of  farewell.  The 
Bishop  consecrated  five  churches  in  the  archdeaconry, 
visited  many  stations,  confirming  where  required,  and 
seeing  what  was  to  be  seen  in  the  district.  At  Bombay 
he  appointed  Mr.  Robinson,  who  was  there  translating 
the  Old  Testament  into  Persian,  his  domestic  chaplain, 
and  obtained  for  him  a  Professorship  at  Bishop's 
College,  so  as  to  enable  that  scholar  to  proceed  with 
his  work.  Me  then  set  about  raising  money  for  Bishop's 
College,  as  well  as  for  the  schools  of  the  S.P.G.  in  the 
Bombay  district.  In  a  v'ery  short  time  he  was  able  to 
collect  for  the  former  some  £'Joo^  and  the  promise  of 
about  ^150  per  annum.  In  the  course  o(  his  travels  ii 
the  district  he  preached  at  every  building  set  apart  for 
religious  services ;  he  spared  himself  in  no  wa}',  even 
wiien  ill.  Yet  his  solicitude  for  others  was  remarkable. 
Writing  to  a  clergyman  about  some  new  work,  he  adds 
this  postscript  :  "  I  feel  conscious  that  I  have  in  this 
letter  chalked  out  for  you  a  deal  of  trouble,  and  thrown 
a  great  weight  of  responsibility  on  your  shoulders." 

On  August  15th,  1825,  he  sailed  for  Ceylon,  his  family 
and  Mr.  Robinson  accon.panying  him.  One  of  the  first 
things  he  did  on  arriving  at  the  Crown  Colony  was 
to  establish  a  district  committee  of  the  S.P.G.,  and  raise 
a  fund  for  a  scholarship  to  be  held  at  Bishop's  College. 
But    his  sympathies   were    not   for  one    society  nor    a 


I  ^o 


KKr.INAI.D   UKUKK. 


:£:! 


single  institution.  Of  his  visit  to  the  Church  Mis- 
sionary Society's  station  at  Cotta  an  affecting  account 
has  ken  left  by  Mr.  Robinson.  It  must  be  remembered 
tliat  up  to  tin's  time  the  emissaries  of  the  Church 
Missionary  Society  had  been  outside  Episcopal  control 
in  India,  and  the  hearty  reception  they  !.;ave  the  Bishop 
everywhei-e,  and  the  affectionate  response  that  was 
returned,  had  a  special  point  which  the  reader  of  to- 
day is  likely  to  misinterpret  witiiout  this  hint. 

" 'J"he  sceni'/'  wrote  Mr.  Robinson  of  the  visit  to 
Cotta,  "  was  to  me  most  beautiful.  We  were  embowered 
in  the  sequestered  woods  of  Ceylon,  in  the  midst  of 
a  heathen  population  ;  and  here  was  a  transaction 
worthy  of  an  apostolic  age,— a  Christian  bishop,  his 
luart  "full  of  loye  and  full  of  xeal  for  the  cause  of  his 
Divine  Master,  received  in  his  proper  character  by  a 
body  of  missionaries  of  his  own  Chm-ch,  who,  with 
fuirconlidence  and  affection,  ranged  themselves  under 
his  authority  as  his  servants  and  fellow-labourers — 
men  of  devoted  piety,  of  sober  wisdom,  whose  labours 
were  at  that  moment  before  them,  and  whose  reward  is 
in.  heaven."  It  may  be  noted  that  here,  as  at  many 
other  i)laces,  we  find  people  astonished  at  his  youthful 
appearance,  and  yet  impressed  with  the  simple,  easy 
dignity  of  liis  manner. 

'lie"  left  Ceylon  at  the  end  of  September— '' I  have 
passetl  a  very  interesting  month  in  Ceylon  ;  but  never 
in  my  life,  to  the  best  of  my  recollection,  passed  so 
laborious  a  one  "—and  readied  Calcutta  on  October 
2 1  St.  He  had  intended  to  travel  to  Madras  about  the 
following  Chi-istmas,  and  visit  the  southern  provinces 
during  the  cool  season  ;  but  the  great  mass  of  work 
which  had  accumulated  in  his  absence  prevented  this 
prudi.'ut  plan   being  carried  out. 

Among  the  many  matters  he  was  now  busied  with, 
and  the  \tters  he  had  to  write  about  them,  we  fuid  an 
interesting  record  of  how  he  had,  as  their  almoner,  dis- 
bursed the  subscriptions  and  donations  of  the  S.P.C.K. 
Noticeable  i ;  the  /joo  in  aid  of  a  chapel  in  a  populous 


THE   LAST   YEAR. 


151 


rh  Mis- 
account 
LMiibered 
Church 
control 
)  Bishop 
lat  was 
r  of  to- 

visit  to 
hovvercd 
iiidst  of 
nsaction 
liop,  his 
e  of  his 
cr  by  a 
10,  with 
>.s  under 
jurers — 

labours 
cward  is 
it  many 
youthful 
lie,  easy 

'<!  have 
Lit  never 
issed  so 
October 
bout  the 
irovinces 
of  work 
ited  this 

cd  with, 
-  find  an 
mer,  dis- 
3.P.C.K. 
populous 


part  of  Calcutta,  which  was  built  for  the  performance  of 
the  KnL;lish  service  in  Bengalee  and  Ilindustanee,  a 
system  which  till  then  had  not  been  tried  in  Calcutta. 
There  were  also  two  sums  of  ^^30  to  assist  in  their 
labours  a  Syrian  and  an  Armenian  bishop.  Ileber 
wi-ote  that  "  the  first  is  a  person  of  much  importance 
to  the  cause  cf  Christianity  in  India,  being  the  metro- 
politan sent,  after  a  lapse  of  many  years,  but  according 
to  ancient  custom,  by  the  Syrian  Patriarch  of  Antioch, 
to  take  charge  of  the  Nialayalim  Church."  But  he  did 
not,  in  the  midst  of  his  labours,  forget  old  friends,  and 
one  notes  a  curious  passage  in  a  letter  written  at  this 
time  to  the  Bishop  of  Oxford.  It  described  a  book 
which  Ileber  was  sending  for  the  library  of  All  Souls — 
a  dictionary  of  the  Hindustanee  and  Persian  languages, 
compiled  by  the  then  King  of  Oudh,  and  printed  by 
him  at  his  own  private  press  at  Lucknow  a  work  of 
merit,  and  one  of  sufficient  novelty  to  deserve  a  place  of 
honour  in  the  library  of  the  Bishop's  old  college. 

Perhaps  the  most  noteworthy  incident  of  the  brief 
period  that  elapsed  before  he  sailed  for  Madras  was 
the  ordination  or  re-ordination  of  Abdul  Musseeh,  a  man 
of  position  and  ability,  who  had  formerly  been  ordained 
a  Lutheran  minister.  On  this  account  considerable 
opposition  was  offered  to  the  re-ordination,  but  the 
Bishop  maintained  his  views  ;  and  the  event  gathered 
an  atlditional  interest  in  consequence.  The  Bishop  read 
the  service  in  Ilindustanee,  and  laid  hands  on  Abdul, 
assisted  by  Bishop  Abraham  of  the  Armenian  Church, 
and  about  twenty  of  the  English  clergy.  It  is  noticeable 
that  the  Bishop  was  very  eager  at  all  times  to  recognise 
that  oppressed  community  the  Church  of  Armenia,  and 
as  a  matter  of  fact  had  at  that  time  a  theological  student 
at  Bishop's  College  in  an  Armenian  deacon. 

On  January  30th,  1826,  he  sailed  from  Calcutta  for 
Madras.  Me  had  only  recently  recovered  from  a  severe 
attack  of  fever,  which  left  him  in  a  state  of  partial 
deafufss.  The  sickly  season  of  the  southern  provinces 
was  before  him,  and  he  did  not  dare  to  take  his  family. 


m 


15: 


REGINALD  lIEnKR. 


It  is  nut  sLirpiisitig  that  hr  should  have  left  them  with 
more  than  usual  reluctance.  It  is  as  curious  as  it  is 
true  that  forebodings  often  precede  catastrophe,  although 
there  may  exist  no  outward  sign  of  danger.  Some  day, 
perhaps,  it  may  be  scientiHcally  explained,  but  until 
then  we  are  fain  to  leave  it  in  that  domain  of  unexplored 
psychology  which  hems  us  so  closely  round. 

On  starting  the  Bishop  began  the  journal  which  he 
was  destined  never  to  linish.  At  Madras,  how-ever,  he 
was  so  hard  at  work  that  he  was  unable  to  make  e\-en 
the  usual  dail}'  entry,  and  we  should  have  known  little 
of  b.is  last  days  on  earth  had  it  not  been  for  I.Ir. 
Robinson's  record  of  them.  It  is  in  this  work  that 
\\v  are  real!}'  able  to  gatlu  !•  all  that  lleber  attempted  and 
did, — his  tirelessness  in  his  duties,  his  ability  in  making 
all  things  serve  his  ends  and  those  of  peace.  Ikit  in 
the  few  notes  he  w.ote  we  fuid  some  passages  which 
interest  us  enough  to  make  them  better  known.  Here, 
for  instance,  is  one  which  throws  a  curious  light  on  the 
way  in  which  the  liquor  (|Uestion  was  treated  in  India  ! 

"Nothing  can  be  more  foolish,  or  in  its  effects  more 
pernicious,  than  tlie  manner  in  which  spirits  are  dis- 
tributed to  European  troops  in  India.  Early  every 
morning  a  pint  of  fiery,  coarse,  undiluted  rum  is  given 
to  every  man,  and  half  that  quantity  to  every  woman  ; 
this  the  greater  part  of  the  newcomers  abhor  in  the 
first  instance,  or  would,  at  all  events,  if  left  to  them- 
selves, mix  with  water.  'J'he  ridicule  of  their  seasoned 
companions,  however,  deteis  them  from  doing  so,  and 
a  habit  of  the  worst  kind  of  intemperance  is  acquired 
in  a  lew  weeks  more  fatal  to  the  army  than  the  swords 
of  the  Jats  or  the  climate-  of  the  IBurmese.  If  half 
the  quantity  of  spirit,  well  watered,  were  given  at  a 
more  seasonable  hour,  and,  to  comi)(nsate  for  the  loss 
of  the  rest,  a  cup  of  strong  coffee  allowed  to  each  man 
every  morning,  the  men  would  be  quite  as  well  pleased, 
and  both  their  bodies  and  souls  preserved  from  many 
dreadful  evils.  Colonel  Williams,  of  the  Queen's  Own, 
whom  we  met  at  Bombay,  has   tried  this   experiment 


THE   LAST  YEAR. 


153 


with  imuli  success,  and    it  might,  with   a  little  resolu- 
tion,  be  universal  throughout  the  army." 

At  Madras  he  confirnud  n«  ariy  live  hundred  candi- 
dates, and  more  than  a  hundrcil  at  an  outlying  station. 
On  his  visitation  there  attcndeti  the  archdeacon  and 
fifteen  clergymen,  ciiaplains  and  missionaries.  The  mis- 
sionaries of  the  S.P.C.K.  at  that  time  were  Lutherans,  and 
unfortunati'ly  Pjishoj)  MitldUton  hail  refused  to  acknow- 
ledge tiieiu  as  clergymen.  1  Ulxr,  by  his  acti«.)n  with 
regai'd  to  Abdid  Mussei^h,  had  \n\i  himself  out  of  court,  or, 
from  the  tone  of  the  shoit  lujte  he  made  on  the  matter, 
it  is  nujst  prcjbable  that  he  would  have  acted  difTerently. 

I  le  has  left  a  rather  amusing  account  of  an  ollicial 
visit  he  paid  to  Prince  Azecn  Kiian,  uncle  to  the  then 
Nawiib  of  the  Carnatic,  and  a  Mussulman.  The  Mus- 
sulmans expressed  the  greatest  astonishment  that  a 
person  of  the  dignity  of  the  Pishop  cHd  not  wear  a 
beard,  "observing,"  says  lleber,  "with  nuich  tiuth, 
that  our  learned  men  lost  much  dignity  and  authority 
l)y  the  eOVininate  custom  of  shaving.  They  also  asked 
if  1  was  the  head  of  all  the  English  Church  ;  and  on 
being  told  that  1  was  the  head  in  India,  but  that  there 
was  another  clergyman  in  England  superior  to  me, 
the  c|uesti(jii  was  then  again  asked,  '  And  does  not  lie 
wear  a  bi'ard  ?  '  This,"  adus  the  Bishop,  '•  was  one 
of  my  last  i)erformances  in  Madras,  where,  indeed,  I 
was  almost  worn  out,  having  preached  (reckoning 
charge  and  confirmation  addresses)  eleven  times  in  little 
more  than  a  fortnight,  besides  presiding  at  a  large 
meeting  of  the  S.P.C.K.,  visiting  si.x  schools,  giving 
two  large  dinner-parties,  and  receiving  and  paying  visits 
innunierable." 

For  the  Governor  of  Madras  at  that  time  he  re-echoes 
high  praise.  '*  It  was  interesting  to  find  only  one 
voice  about  Sir  Thomas  Munro,  whose  talents,  steadi- 
ness, and  justice  seemed  admitted  by  everybody;  he  is 
a  fine  dignified  old  soldier,  with  a  very  strong  and 
original  understanding,  and  a  solid,  practical  judgment ; 
he   is  excellently  adapted   for  the  situation  which  he 


154 


RKGINALD   lIKIiF.K. 


X 


liokls  ;  and  his  popularity  is,  perhaps,  thi-  more  honour- 
able lo  him,  because  his  manners,  tlmngh  unalTected 
and  simple,  are  reserved  and  grave,  at  least  <»ii  a  Inst 
ae(|nainlanee." 

\Vh<  II  at  I'oonanialu,  a  station  near  Madras,  the 
Jiishop  held  a  eonliiination  of  about  a  hundred  candi- 
dates. As  the  hour  of  service  approached,  however, 
a  good  many  more  than  a  hnndnd  presentetl  them- 
seK'S.  On  this  being  rejuated  to  1  h.-ber,  he  said  he 
would  not  refuse  any  whom  hi-  could  conscientiously 
adm  :,  and  accordingly  wished  his  chaplain  to  examine 
the  extra  candidates  after  service,  so  that  he  might 
confirm  them  in  the  aft(  rnoon  ;  and  this  was  done. 
One  A'oman  brought  her  boy  to  be  confirmed,  who  was 
(juite  young,  and  begged  hard  that  she  might  also  be 
accepted.  "  Bring  them  both  to  me,"  exclaimed  the 
Bishop.  "  Who  knows  whether  they  may  live  to  wish 
for  it  again  ?  "     In  the  evening  a  third  service  was  lu  Id. 

On  March  2ist  Mr.  Robinson  notes,  at  Chillumbrum, 
tliat  the  heat  was  so  great  that  with  all  cooling  api^H- 
ances  at  their  command  they  could  not  reduce  the  heat 
bi'low  ninety-seven  degrees  undercover,  ^'et  services, 
preaching,  confirming,  arid  travelling  went  on  uninter- 
ruptedly. A  native  clergyman  came  to  see  him  from 
'ranjore,  and  on  rising  to  take  his  leave  hesitated  and 
lingered.  The  Bishop  asking  some  one  if  the  old  man 
wanted  anything,  was  told  ihat  it  was  usual  among  the 
Tamil  Christians  never  to  leave  a  minister  they  respected 
without  his  blessing.  Heber  got  up  at  once,  and  gave 
the  native  his  blesring  in  a  particularly  aflectionate 
way,  exclaiming  afterwards,  "  1  will  bless  them  all — the 
good  people  !  " 

The  native  Christians  of  Tranqucbar  could  not  be 
visited,  but  the  Bishop  sent  them  this  message:  "Tell 
them  tliat  1  hoj)e  to  see  them  all  in  heaven  !  " 

At  lanjore  the  Bishop  visited  Schwartz's  chapel,  and 
carefully  copied  the  inscription  that  had  been  placed 
over  that  noble  toiler's  grave  by  his  iaiihful  friend,  the 
Rajah  Sarabojee  of  that  place.     As  this  inscription  was 


■,i" 


Tlir.  LAST  vr.AR. 


155 


lioilfiur- 
lallcclcd 
11  a  lirst 

ras,  tlif 
:1  caiuli- 
lowivir, 
tl  thcni- 

saiil  he 
ntiously 
cxaniiiir 
t'  init;ht 
.s  clone. 
,vli()  was 

also  be 
lU'd   the 

to  wisli 
vas  In  Id. 
inihnitu, 
if^ai  ^li- 
the heat 

SC'IA'iccS, 

uniiiter- 
iiii  from 
itetl  and 
old  man 
lont;'  the 
espectcd 
md  gax'c 
_'ctionate 
all— the 

I  not  be 
i:  '•Tell 

\pv\,  and 

II  placed 
leuti,  the 
tiun  was 


the  Rajah's  own  composition,  in  I'nglish,  we  way  fird 
room  for  the  verse  in  which  li<'  commended  the  virtues 
of  his  friend  and  pastor  :— 

"  linn  Wiist  tlinii,  liiiml»l(>  ami  wise, 
lloiifst,  pure,   Ine  from  (liHum-.c , 
Father  of  iirpluiiis,  the  widow's  siipport, 
Coinlort  ill  sorrow  of  every  sort, 
To  the  l)<ninliti-(l  tlLspisrr  ol  lij^lit 
l)oinp;  and   pointing;  to  tiiat  wliieli  'm*  ri^ht. 
HlcshiiiK  to  prinfis,  to  pi  nplc,  to  me, 
May  1,  my  fatlur,  he  worthy  of  thee, 
Wishes  and   prayeth  thy  Sarahojoe." 

At  that  time  tin  mere  skill  shown  in  the  wiitin^  of  such 
lines  by  a  native  was  j^rohably  uni(|ue  ;  their  sentiment 
needs  no  •'  bush." 

On  Kastcr  Day  the  Bishop  unknowingly  entered  on 
the  last  week  of  his  life.  On  the  following  .Sunday  he 
was  to  die — in  a  moment,  unwarne'l  alone,  withont  the 
knowledge  of  his  friends.  Or  this  Easter  Day  he 
preached  from  the  text,  "1  a  11  !le  fat  liveth  and 
was  dead,  and  behold,  I  an:  ;i!ive  J-r  evermore." 
Robinson  writes:  "I  assisted  hi'.  ^^  tie  administra- 
tion of  the  .Sacrament  to  thirty  communicants  of  the 
English  and  fifty-seven  of  the  native  congregation  ;  to 
each  of  the  latter  he  repeated  the  words  in  i'amil.  The 
interest  of  this  service,  in  itself  most  interesting,  was 
greatly  heightened  by  the  delight  and  animation  of  the 
Bishop,  the  pres<  nee  of  so  many  missionaries,  whose 
labours  were  before  us,  aiul  all  the  associations  of 
the  place  in  which  we  were  assembled,— built  by  the 
venerable  Schwartz,  whose  monument,  erected  by  the 
alVection  of  the  Rajah,  adiM'ns  the  western^  end  of 
the  church.  The  group  in  white  marble,  by  Flaxman, 
represents  the  good  man  on  his  death- bed,  Gericke 
standing  behind  him,  th(.'  Rajah  at  his  side,  two  native 
attendants  and  three  childrtii  of  his  school  aroimd 
his  bed." 

In  the  evening  of  that  day  the  Bishop  joined  in  the 
service  held  in  r.nnil.  The  churcii  v*iis  crowded,  over 
thirteen  hundred  being  counted  by  one  of  the   native 


156 


RECJINALD   IIKHER. 


I:     I 


:>• 


•*s 


ministers.  Mr.  Robinson  writes:  "I  have  seen  no 
congregation,  even  in  Europe,  by  whom  the  responses 
of  the  liturgy  are  more  generally  and  correctly  made, 
or  where  the  psalmody  is  more  devotional  and  correct. 
...  It  was  of  deep  and  thrilling  interest,  in  which 
memor}',  and  hope,  and  joy  mingled  with  the  devotion 
of  the  hour,  to  hear  so  many  voices,  but  lately  rescued 
from  the  ix)lluting  services  of  the  jjagoda,  joining  in 
.  .  .  .  the  ICaster  llynm  and  the  Hundredth  I'salm, 
and  uttering  the  loud  Amen  at  the  close  of  every 
prayer.  For  the  last  ten  years  I  have  longed  to  witness 
a  scene  like  this,  but  tln'  reality  exceeds  all  my  expecta- 
tions. .  .  .  'I'he  Bishop's  heart  was  full  ;  and  never 
shall  I  forget  the  energy  of  his  manner,  and  the  heavenly 
expression  of  his  countenance,  when  he  exclaimed,  as 
1  assisted  him  to  take  off  his  robes,  '  Gladly  would  I 
exchange  years  of  conmKMi  life  for  one  such  day  as 
this  ! ' " 

On  the  next  day  he  confirmed  and  addressed  native 
congregations,  and  on  Tuesday  visited  the  Rajah. 
Tliis  extraordinary  native  prince  was  the  child  of 
Schwartz's  teaching,  a  living  monument  to  that  noble 
missionary's  labours.  He  spoke  nuich  of  '*  his  dear 
lather,"  which  he  always  called  Schwartz,  and  re- 
peatedly told  the  ]5ishc>p  that  he  hoped  he  would 
stand  "in  his  room."  He  showed  the  Bishop  over 
his  palace — took  him  into  his  library,  his  nmseum,  and 
showed  him  his  printing-[)ress.  I  le  exhibited  knowledge 
of  many  topics  that  we  might  think  strange  in  an 
Indian,  prince  though  he  might  be,  and  among  other 
things  discussed  with  apparent  learning  the  various 
styles  of  Hindu  and  Mussulman  architecture.  The 
ability  and  virtue  of  this  man  were  cons|)icuous  in  a 
class  of  clever  if  not  over-virtuous  rulers.  One  instance 
will  serve  to  distinguish  his  character  from  that  of  the 
average.  The  Rajah  promised  to  send  the  P>ishop  a 
copv  of  a  miniature  of  Schwartz,  and  although  the 
death  of  the  liishop  happened  a  few  days  after  the 
promise    was  made,   he    sent    it   to   his   widow.      It   is 


n 
a 

d 


iM 


'1' 


THE   LAST   YEAR. 


157 


seen  no 
■spouses 
y  made, 

correct. 
1  which 
Jevotioii 

rescued 

ining'  in 

Fsahii, 

)f  every 

witness 
expecta- 
d  never 
leavenly 
inied,  as 
would    I 

day  as 

d  native 
Rajah, 
child  of 
at  noble 
liis  dear 
and  re- 
-  would 
op  over 
uni,  and 
lowledge 
,e  in  an 
ig  other 
various 
.'.  The 
)us  in  a 
instance 
It  of  the 
5isho|-)  a 
ugh  the 
liter  the 
:.     It   is 


pl(;asant  to  remember  that  the  liishop  drew  up  a  prayer 
ior  the  Divine  protection  of  this  noble  ruler,  and  gave 
instructions  that  it  should  be  translated  into  Tamil, 
and  read  by  all  the  missionaries  in  the  Rajah's 
dominions. 

On  April  ist  the  party  reached  Trichinopoly.  1  he 
heat  was  very  oppressive.  On  the  2nd  the  Bishop 
preached  in  the  large  church  there— St.  John's— in  the 
morning,  and  in  the  afternoon  held  a  confirmation  and 


bT.    JOHNS,    ■rUIClIINOPOLY. 

{The  CliHich  in  viliich  llcbcr  last  ministend.) 

addressed  the  candidates.  In  the  evening  he  com- 
plained of  headache  and— little  wonder  !  — of  weariness. 
But  at  daybreak  on  the  following  morning  he  attended 
a  service  held  in  'I'amil,  and  confirmed  and  addressed 
a  native  congregation  in  that  language  ;  thence  he 
passed  to  the  mission  house,  and  investigated  the  con- 
dition of  the  schools.  Shortly  afterwards  he  received 
a  petition  from  the  natives  asking  for  a  pastor.  "  His 
answer  was  given  with  that  gentleness  and  kindness  oi 
heart  which  never  failed  to  win  the  affections  of  all  who 


158 


REGINALD    IlEBER. 


heard  him."  On  returning  to  the  house  where  he  was 
staying — that  of  Mr.  Bird,  judge  of  the  circuit — and 
before  taking  off  his  robes,  he"  visited  Mr.  Robinson,  who 
was  too  ill  to  leave  his  bed.  Me  spoke  of  the  affairs  of 
the  mission,  dwelling  on  its  poverty,  and  saying  that  he 
ought  to  have  regular  reports  from  every  mission  in 
India,  in  order  tlmt  he  might  know  what  were  their 
wants.  Nothing  that  he  had  seen  in  the  whole  of 
his  diocese,  he  said,  had  so  powerfully  interested  him. 
Mr.  Robinsori  said  afterwards  that  the  mental  excitement 
was  so  great  tht.t  he  showed  no  trace  of  ph3'sical 
exhaustion. 

The  Bishop  went  to  his  own  room,  and,  as  usual, 
wrote  the  name  of  the  place  and  date  on  the  back 
of  his  confu-mation  address  :  "  1 1  ichinopoly,  April  3rd, 
1826."  Unwittingly  he  wrote  the  place  of  his  burial, 
the  date  of  his  death.  i\s  he  did  not  reappeai",  and 
for  some  time  there  had  been  unusual  silence,  his 
servant  entered  his  room  to  see  if  anything  was  the 
matter  or  if  he  were  wanted.  I  le  found  his  master  lying 
in  his  bath.  Nothing  was  the  matter  with  him  now,— 
nothing  would  ever  be  wanted  again  :  the  eager  spirit 
was  at  rest  at  last. 

Thus  did  Rcginakl  Heber  pass.  Woin  with  toil, 
oppressed  by  heat,  and  overcome  at  the  last  by 
nervous  exhaustion,  he  died  in  the  prime  of  life  and 
the  meridian  of  his  day  of  usefulness.  Amid  the  scene 
of  his  fruitful  labours,  far  from  wife  and  childnn  if 
among  the  sons  of  his  adoption,  without  friend  to  lean 
over  him  and  ^atch  the  last  broken  words  on  the 
fleeting  breath,  without  warning  froui  science,  or,  for 
all  that  is  known,  a  suspicion  of  the  approach  of  death, 
the  beloved  of  his  people  was  called  into  the  dark- 
ness of  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow,  whence  no  voice 
Cometh,  nor  is  anything  heard,     "if  in  this  life  only 


W( 


th. 


I 


I 


I 


He  was  a  man  ol  ..uch  singular  gifts,  and,  though 


.1' 


lie  was 
.lit — and 
ion,  who 
lilairs  of 
;•  that  ho 
ssion  in 
nx'  their 
vholc  of 
ted  him. 
citement 
ph3'sical 

IS  usual, 
he   back 

pi-il  3rd, 
s  burial, 
ear,  and 
nee,  his 
was  the 
Iter  lying 
1  now, — 
jer  spirit 


vith  toil, 
last  by 
life  and 
:he  scene 
lildnn  if 
i  to  lean 
i  on  the 
',  or,  for 
of  death, 
he  dark- 
no  voice 
life  only 


,  though 


I 

I 


■  '\  A.    _.  4  1  -J 


^V:^  ^- 


'mEfmiiwm^ss^. 


-^ 


4,  i^i0'.4jkJSk,iiimib»»">^- 


MEMORIAL  TO  HEBER,  AT  MADRAS. 


i6o 


REGINALD   HETIER. 


1 1 

t', 


I  ft" 


bred  in  a  period  of  great  affectations,  so  frank  and 
natural  in  his  manner  and  habit  of  thought,  that  we 
cannot  be  surprised  at  the  impression  he  made  on  his 
own  generation.  To-thiy,  much  that  was  unknown  and 
seldom  guessed  at  in  his  time  has  long  been  realised. 
Our  fashions  are  different,  our  habits  unlike,  our  very 
speech  has  passed  into  another  phase.  We  accept  for 
granted  so  much  that  was  barely  entertained  seventy 
yeai's  ago  tliat  it  is  well-nigh  impossible  to  appreciate 
the  prevision  of  Ileber  at  its  true  value  to  his  own 
time.  The  brotherhood  of  Christians,  which  he  was 
conspicuous  in  demonstrating,  is  now  become  the  hope 
and  realisation  of  many  sections  of  the  connnunity. 
His  soberness  of  Judgment  weighed  strongly  in  an 
age  when  the  disposition  to  run  after  some  new  thing 
was  particularly^  mai'ked.  He  was  a  man  df  the 
world,  and  though  in  (^ne  sense  distinctly  not  of  the 
world,  neither  ascetic  nor  hermit.  He  was  a  man 
among  men — a  man  who  could  rule  and  dared  not  lit- — 
and  among  Christians  he  was  a  leader.  An  Iilnglislniian 
in  his  blood  and  breeding,  he  was  to  the  heathen  a 
brother  aiid  a  servant ;  a  son  of  the  aristocracy  of  tiie 
]"ichest  nation  in  the  world,  the  poor  and  lowly  were  his 
friends;  a  creator  of  the  literature  of  his  age,  and  among 
the  craftsmen  an  artist,  he  gave  the  treasures  of  his 
nu"nd  to  those  who  coultl  not  even  read  ;  the  spiritual 
lord  of  all  the  Indies,  he  lived  and  moved  and  died  the 
humble  follower  of  Jesus,  the  crucified  Carpenter  of 
Nazareth. 


■K 

%' 

,»>' 


I'rinted  by  Hazell,  Watson,  &  Viney,  Ld.,  Loadon  and  Aylesbury. 


I 


I 

I 


^KKl«>^MU^>i^^»»£««^' 


